


Corpse Flower

by russianwinter013



Category: Danny Phantom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Delusions, Extreme Gore, Graphic Description of Corpses, Hallucinations, Masochism, Multi, Necrophilia, Other, Sadism, Schizophrenia, Torture, Unreliable Narrator, graphic descriptions of illness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2018-08-16 03:57:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8086162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/russianwinter013/pseuds/russianwinter013
Summary: My mind is a dark place, an endless abyss filled with horrors that no sane person could ever dream of. Everything I care about is gone, and I am constantly on the run as I struggle to control my demons. But my dark past is rapidly catching up with me, and my sanity continues to slip by the day. It hasn't helped that I'm now stuck with a bunch of egotistical superhumans, either. I just hope I don't end up killing them, too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of one of my stories posted on FanFiction. Enjoy!

You cannot run from the shadows, but you can invite them to dance. That is what I have learned in the past few years.

My demons will always continue to haunt me, and I know that no matter how hard I try, it is only the cruel hand of fate that guides my wandering soul. I can feel it now—its swollen, fleshy arms cradling my body and mind in an embrace that warned me of its sheer power, of how easy it would be to tighten its grasp and wrench the life out of me.

Currently, I feel...somewhat protected. I've always had this sort of paranoia where I glance over my shoulder every two seconds to see if someone is following me, but that's always been there. No, what's changed is that the monsters that had followed me ceased to be ages ago. They had heard about my fate and had stopped following me for fear of their afterlives. I couldn't exactly blame them. I was far from stable at the moment.

A chill raced its way down my spine and I suddenly found myself gasping for air. No. I couldn't lose control here, not now, and certainly not with all of these people here.

_Daniel..._

I whipped around, my eyes wide and my breathing shaky. My aura flared out—oh, so wide and filled with fear; _tremble in fear my darling little bag of flesh_ _—_ and I could almost swear my vision flashed crimson and I was submerged in a lake of molten lava.

My throat burned as I held back my screams—my cries of pain; no, leave me alone and don't come closer—and blinked to clear the violent ruby tint from my eyes.

There was no one there.

_Keep calm, Fenton. Now isn't the time to lose your cool._

My mind hissed curses and warnings at me, and my fingers began to twitch at my sides. My aura was pulsing wildly, and my mouth had become dangerously dry. I coughed, attempting to lessen the aching fire in my throat.

_Keep running, and running, and running. Don't look behind you, and don't you dare stop, my dear little boy. Because I will always be there, watching you, hunting you, until the day you succumb to your deepest desires._

I gagged, swaying on my feet again as I breathed heavily through my nose. I trembled from head to toe, struggling to keep my balance as the world around me was coated in the blood of those victims—what am I saying, they're my victims, the ones I hurt—that had screamed for mercy and forgiveness.

_I laughed softly, crimson fluid coating my hands. Blood, all around me, like a viscous sticky blanket warming the dew-stained grass..._

I paused in my pacing to lean against the stained wall behind me, my legs giving out and forcing me to slide into a position somewhat similar to a crouch. My mind whirled and the blood was beginning to turn my field of vision into something else, something different. Not entirely unwanted, either—

I jolted in my makeshift seat as a heavy fist pounded on the motel room door.

"Mister? Are you okay in there?"

What? When had I—?

"I'm coming in now! I've called the cops!"

The...cops? What was—did they mean the police?

Heat surged within me, making me cry out and curl over myself.

_Your mind will crumble beneath my fingers, like decaying stone and flesh from the ageless bodies of our victims. You will never cease to be and I will never cease to be, and our desires will tear you to shreds. Your blood will coat the walls of the asylum and the cavernous, never-ending tunnel of your sanity will continue to get darker and darker until all you know is the blackness of your soul. You will be afraid of the darkness, and you will be afraid of your own soul._

My eyes shifted down, and it was then that I realized I was covered in drying, tacky blood. But I didn't remember anything—why had they called the police?

_Honestly, my dear Daniel. You killed someone, don't you see? You held someone's life in your hands and made them beg like the pitiful worm they were. You do remember what I told you about suffering, don't you, my boy?_

Damn it. I had to get out of here.

I could hear the sirens in the distance. They were getting closer.

My nausea snarled at me as I staggered to my feet, and I took a brief second to compose myself before grabbing my backpack and unlatching the lock on the window.

The darkness of the night embraced me with poisonous arms.

* * *

She watched the strange teen from a distance, her body pressed against the cold, slick cement of the building roof.

He was covered in blood, and there was a haunted look in the depths of his multi-colored eyes.

For a moment, the young man almost looked as if he were enjoying being on the run.

She tensed as he froze suddenly, his hands twitching at his sides. His head swiveled to the side, and she watched intently as the light of the streetlamps reflected off of his gaze.

There.

His eyes flashed crimson in the artificial light.

Rising to her feet slowly, she raised a hand and pressed it against the communicator in her ear.

"The target has been found. Further investigation is required. Radio silence will be maintained until the mission is complete."

She turned and headed for the stairs leading to the parking garage beneath her.

Her car was waiting for her, devoid of any distinguishable markings that would make her stand out any more than she needed to. Her keys jangled, echoing eerily in the blackened silence as she unlocked the door.

A chill worked its way down her spine, and she slowed her movements, her keys slipping from her grasp. As she bent over to pick them up, she took in her surroundings. There was a flickering fluorescent light a few yards from her, and a few other lone cars parked. An icy wind blew, and she shivered slightly as she tucked her hair behind her ear and straightened to her full height.

Two burning crimson eyes tore into her soul through the darkness of the night.

Leaping away and putting a few feet of space between her and the monster, she took a knife from a hidden sheath and kept a steady grip on its glazed wooden handle. In any other circumstance, she would have used her gun automatically, but it would cause too much noise and cause a commotion.

The teen continued to watch her, his molten gaze tracking every movement she made. He tilted his head to the side as a faint frown pulled at the corner of his lips, and the iciness of the air became more powerful as he rocked slowly on the balls of his feet.

Moving without warning, the teen lurched forward and slammed into the spy, using his momentum to push her far enough to slam her into the nearest wall. She gasped as the breath was knocked out of her, raising her watering eyes to meet the young man's stare.

His pale face was eerily devoid of emotion as he stared down at her, coldness surrounding his body and darkness concealing his movements. He shifted slightly, and then his long and skeletal fingers were trailing over the swell of her breasts, stopping just above her heart.

Her eyes widened and she tried to slash at him with the knife, but he leaned forward and pressed his body weight into her, his free hand pushing at the arm holding the knife. She cried out as bones snapped and her now-useless hand dropped the weapon, a dark sense of fear filling her to the core.

The man's tongue lashed out, trailing over his lips. His breath was strangely cold, and he was trembling slightly as a sheen of sweat shone on the expanse of his skin.

She clenched her teeth together, terror and rage filling her heart. She twisted her other hand, a blade extending from a hidden sheath as she pointed the tip at the monster's stomach and pushed her arm forward.

He barely even flinched as the knife sunk deep into his body, sliding easily past layers of skin and flesh and grazing over the surface of his bone as she attempted to bury the blade within him. Crimson and green blood stained his shirt briefly before his flesh visibly trembled and the wounds sealed off, trapping the knife within him.

Something similar to disappointment burned in his eyes, startling her slightly—no matter if it was an act, the monster was known for being incapable of showing emotion, so she couldn't help but wonder how he was doing it now and if it was an act. For a brief moment, the expressionless look vanished as he stared down at her through glazed eyes.

Her eyes widened as the pressure on her chest increased suddenly, and her body jerked in shock. She barely had time to scream as his fingers tore through her flesh and muscle and bone, her body jerking again as his hand brushed over her wildly beating heart.

She wondered how his face could be so inexpressive as he wrapped his hand around her heart and squeezed, sending her into an eternal darkness.

* * *

I did it again.

I did it again, I did it again, I did it again.

I had watched the light go out of her eyes and had reveled in grim satisfaction at the feeling of her blood coating my hands.

I lurched to the side, breathing heavily as the world tilted on its axis around me. My heart pounded in my ears, blood racing throughout my body, and a wave of unrelenting heat washed over me. I gasped as the invisible hands around my throat tightened their grasp, and I doubled over as I attempted to breathe correctly.

_Daniel, you must stop doing this. We cannot have you passing out every second._

_Why don't you learn to shut up sometimes?_

_My, my. Someone's in a touchy mood._

A growl rumbled in the back of my throat as bile stung my mouth, and I bent over again to choke up my last meal. My eyes watering, I took a deep, gasping breath and leaned heavily against the alley wall, the formerly subtle pounding in the back of my head roaring its fury.

I had to get this under control. To keep control of myself long enough that I didn't hurt anyone else.

_—why sugarcoat it, huh? You know what you did...you killed that woman—_

I whined, tangling my hands in my thick forest of raven hair as I began to rock back and forth. No, no, no. It wasn't me—that wasn't me, it was all _him_ _—_

_Liar. You enjoyed it, don't you know? Or don't you remember staring at her lovely face and groaning as you imagined her lips around your—_

**_Stop it, stop it, stop it._ **

My heart was racing, and I was finding it difficult to breathe. Acid fire ran throughout my body as I trembled harshly.

He growled in the back of my mind, suddenly wary and concerned. _Daniel, what are you doing? Don't do this now_ _—_

_"Shut up."_ I staggered to my feet, hissing in pain as my sense of balance was disrupted and my shoulder slammed into the ragged brick wall.

I had to get out of here. It was the only logical thing to do, and that woman had been a part of some government agency that would send every man and woman they had after me for killing one of their top agents.

_See? Now you admit it, don't you?_

_You're not helping anything, you know._

_Oh, I do. I just love messing with you._

_Jerk._

I shuddered as the light of the early morning began to burn away the demons clawing at my back.

* * *

"Sir, we have a problem."

The aged African-American man turned, the scars beneath his eyepatch reflecting the harsh lighting above him with a gruesome efficiency. "What?"

Letting out a deep breath, the government agent held out a thin manila file. "It's been suggested that this takes top priority." The agent nodded and turned away, briskly leaving the room.

Nick Fury pressed his lips into a thin line and pressed a button on the large keyboard before him. "Coulson, Maria, get down here _now."_

In almost record time, the impassive man and the spitfire woman entered simultaneously.

Scowling deeply, the SHIELD Director spread out the file before them on the table. "It's happened again."

Coulson scanned over the file, his expression unchanging even as he took in the horrific scene. "I could have sworn we sent out an agent that wouldn't have been caught."

"He's getting better, that's for sure." Fury crossed his arms, clenching his jaw together.

"We can't keep sending people out there to die. This thing clearly has no remorse and doesn't care about the mess he leaves behind," Maria stated grimly, looking slightly pale as her gaze wandered back to the scene of the crime.

"I suppose, then, that we have no other option." Coulson's dry voice seemed heavier than usual as he stared intently at the director.

Fury's nostrils flared briefly, and a vein pulsed on his temple. "No, we do not. Get the protocols ready and have them completed in the next hour. I want them all on standby, but don't send anyone out without my say-so."

Hill flipped the file shut as a bead of sweat slithered down the side of her face. "Sir, what about the initiative programs?"

"Out of the question. They are the only ones who can deal with this type of threat, and I don't think they'll appreciate being mere cannon fodder."

Fury turned and headed for the window, linking his arms behind the small of his back.

"Call Stark and tell him to get here. Now."

As Maria and Coulson both headed off to their respective tasks, the Director of SHIELD let out a heavy breath through his nose and glared down at the land beneath him.

_I hope the Avengers can contain this situation before it gets any worse._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while since I've updated, and I sincerely apologize for that and I hope you're all not too mad at me...
> 
> Warnings: Schizophrenia, Extreme Gore, Masochism, Sadism, Torture, Graphic Descriptions of Illness, Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, Slight Necrophilia, Hallucinations/Delusions, Unreliable Narrator
> 
> Also, heed the warnings, as always. Also, since Tony is introduced in this chapter with some form of drink, I'm going to get the generalizations out of the way. In Iron Man, he drank a malt scotch on the rocks, hot sake, champagne, and something that may be Laphroiag 17 year malt. In Iron Man 2, there's champagne and a dirty martini with lemon, and in the Avengers, it's champagne and then the scotch he offers Loki before they fight. So I'm gonna go out on a slightly risky limb here and say Tony drinks. So now that I've pointed out what's been in the movies, I'm just going to refer to whatever he's drinking as scotch because I'm too lazy to point out anything else.

This one was a strange one, all right. He'd never seen one like him before.

The young man before him twitched in his seat, his hooded gaze fixed onto the floor. He seemed dazed as if his thoughts were elsewhere, and his long raven hair covered part of his face.

The man sitting at the desk before him sighed, leaning heavily against his balled fist. "Why do you want this job, exactly?"

Ice blue eyes widened momentarily and the teen jolted in his chair, nearly rocking backward and catching himself before he fell. "I just need a job. I don't have any money."

"And your parents or your family members couldn't give you anything? A job was your last choice?"

The young man scowled, rage and despair flashing in his eyes. "They're dead."

"Oh." The interviewer gave a melancholy smile that didn't reach his eyes. "My condolences, Mr..." He glanced down at the file before him, narrowing his eyes and adjusting the glasses perched on his nose. "Fenton."

The teen shuddered, grimacing deeply and shaking his head. "Daniel. Just Daniel."

"Very well." The man rose to his feet and held out a hand, nothing but cold determination and irritation in his eyes. "Come along, then. You'll start today."

Daniel rose to his feet, wringing his hands together as he breathed heavily. "Where are we going now?"

"To meet the rest of your the people you'll be working with."

* * *

_I don't know what to do anymore. I just know that I have to stop this horrific madness before I lose all of my sanity._

_Each broken body gave off a putrid stench, but I suppose my sense of smell had been numbed. I couldn't smell the rotting flesh, nor could I taste it. But I knew it was there._

_I moaned softly as crimson flickered in and out of my vision, and my legs threatened to give out as a maniacal laugh echoed in my head._

_What have I done?_

_What in the world have I done?_

_"Monster!"_

_"Freak!"_

_"You're nothing but a circus act!"_

_Everything had gone downhill after the incident with the meteor and the gathering of the ghosts that had helped save my planet. Because soon after that seemingly heroic event, my dark side had returned._

_He left nothing but devastation and ruin in his tracks, and of course, there was the fact that he had ruined my reputation. I had been a hero, although I had not truly felt like one, and the praise and thanks every second of the day was something you could get used to._

_I paused as more bones crunched beneath my feet, and pain flashed through my body. My breath hitched and I gasped hoarsely as my throat tightened._

_Monster._

_Freak._

_Abomination._

_Heat washed over me, and I came to a stop at the edge of the cliff at the end of the clearing. Beneath me, there was a vicious drop below, waves slamming against the dark rocks._

_How easy it would be to just fall and forget everything..._

**_We will break you. We will tear your wings from your back and crush your spine. We will leave you helpless and ragged on the edge of the universe until you know nothing but the cold, cruel emptiness of living without anyone caring for you._ **

_My body was shaking harder now, violent and unrelenting tremors that made me sway on my feet._

_Daniel..._

_I shook my head, fire radiating through me. No...he couldn't catch me here. I was supposed to be safe here. No one could bother me._

_Daniel..._

_"Leave me alone." My broken voice echoed dangerously loud, sending a sudden throbbing through my head._

_Daniel._

_No. No, no, no, no, no._

_Daniel, wake up!_

I woke with a start, sweat drenching my body and a chill crawling its way down my spine. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the thick and cloying scent of mold, rain, and earth filled my senses.

_Daniel, you must stop doing this. You can't keep hurting yourself._

_Shut up._ I grimaced as I sat up fully, my side and neck complaining as they stretched out.

I had traveled to a city on the opposite side of the country from where I had killed that federal agent woman, planning on laying low for a while. It would be risky to become familiarized with anyone or anything too much, but because I had needed the money, I applied for and had been accepted for a job serving drinks at a local cafe a few miles from my hideout.

The hideout itself was not all that great, but it was enough to protect my weakened body from the elements. It was a roof over my head, however leaky and rotten it may be, and I was able to not worry about having someone watching me all of the time. The agency the woman had belonged to seemed to ease up on their search for me, but I still made it a habit to keep out of camera range and police view.

Groaning as I shakily rose to my feet, I yawned and ran my hands over my face in an attempt to clear the ever-persisting fatigue from my body. Easing only a bit of my exhaustion, I glanced out of a hole in the wall nearest me to check the time. Sometime around noon, based on the position of the sun. It was something the Master had taught me a while ago when I had lived with him a while back.

My senses flaring, I tensed as a chill passed over me.

_You know, some people are just born with tragedy in their blood, my dear Daniel. It isn't a thing to beat yourself up about._

Ignoring the thunder-like voice in the back of my mind, I let out a deep breath and stretched once more, stepping out of my makeshift hideout and readying myself for another lonesome day in the cruel, unforgiving world.

* * *

_They broke the wrong parts. Oh, how they had broken the wrong things. Our wings were broken, but they had forgotten about our claws._

_They left marks on our bones._

_We left marks on their minds._

Tony Stark paced back and forth in his laboratory a glass of scotch in his hand as he muttered under his breath, a clipboard holding numerous design schematics clutched in his other hand.

_~Round and round the blackberry bush the baby boys are running...~_

He continued pacing and ignored the incessant ringing in his earpiece, jotting down a few notes and frowning deeply.

_"Sir, are you going to get that?"_

"Not now, Jarvis." Scratching absentmindedly at chocolate-colored hair, the inventor chewed on the tip of his pen before taking a swing of his drink.

_"I must warn you, sir, it is apparently of the utmost..."_

Tony sighed and ran a hand over his face roughly, slamming his glass on the desk surface. "Put them on hold and play the elevator music. They can wait, and I'm busy."

_"Stark, I swear if you put me on hold with that elevator music, I'm gonna put so many bullets down your throat you'll be..."_

"Fury! That you? I could've sworn that you had keeled over and died from old age!" Tony grinned widely, pausing in his walking to lean against the desk. Despite his jovial tone, he winced and brought a hand to his head as a painful throb traveled through his head.

_~One by one, they fall and they're dead, and that's the end of the story!~_

_"You've been ignoring my calls for the past hours, and I'm about ready to send SWAT in on your tail. Get to the Helicarrier now before I_ _—"_

Tony groaned heavily and threw his hands up into the air. "It could have taken you any longer to cut Eyepatch off, Jarvis."

_"My deepest apologies, sir, but there was something blocking my transmission feed. I was working on overriding it when_ _—"_

"That's enough, buddy. I'm heading out now. Lock the doors and turn on the alarms for me, would you?"

_"Very well, sir."_

With one last glance, the scientist let out a heavy sigh and headed out.

* * *

Maria Hill glanced up from her seat as the doors to her office hissed open. A slight frown pulling down her lips, she set down the manila file in her hands and straightened fully with a determined interest burning in her eyes.

Tony Stark waltzed into the room, his hands clasped tightly together in front of him and his fingers twitching against each other. He was dressed as normal in an expensive, tailored suit with a white button-up shirt beneath it, but the way he was holding himself made the SHIELD Lieutenant hesitate.

"Where's Fury?"

Maria spun around to see the scientist standing above her, his head cocked to the side as his eyes scanned the paperwork spread out before her. "Stark, you can't just—"

"—you see, he was the one that called me here, so if he isn't here, then I'll just take my leave."

Hill sighed in exasperation as she rose to her feet. "It won't kill you to wait a minute. The Director's taking care of some things, but he'll be back in a moment. In the meanwhile..." She kicked out a chair from the nearest desk and waved a hand towards the seat, smiling widely. "Take a seat and get comfortable."

"That won't be necessary, Agent Hill."

Nick Fury stalked in, Coulson on his heel as they both came to a stop near the desk.

Tony grinned lazily and leaned against the desk, brushing his hair out of his face with a casual sweep of his hand. "My, my, Fury. You sure took your sweet time getting here, didn't you?"

"Spare me the whining, Stark. I was busy cleaning up one of the messes your team made on the other side of the world." Fury glared at the man as he crossed his arms over his chest, the look almost immediately making Stark stand down and hold whatever comment he had been about to say. "Agent Hill, did you give him the file yet?"

"No, sir. You came in before I could, and Mr. Stark was being rather uncooperative," the woman replied, ignoring the wounded protest the scientist gave at her remark. She turned and picked up the file she had set down mere minutes ago, holding it out to the billionaire.

Tony took the file and frowned as he set it down on the desk, turning to stare intently at the SHIELD Director. "You called me here to read some file?"

"No. I called you to look at this file and tell you not to tell any of your team, including that damn computer you've got following you around everywhere," the dark-skinned man growled, meeting the inventor's stare without a moment of hesitation.

"Fine."

Maria frowned and leaned forward so she was in eye contact with the brunette. "You're seriously agreeing to this? To lying to your teammates?"

"Teammates? They've been more like collateral damage in the past few months," Stark muttered, running a hand over his face in a way that displayed his exhaustion. "They're all doing their separate thing right now, and they're not even staying at the Tower, so it's not like I would have anyone to tell." He yawned and stretched, grunting as something cracked back into its proper place. "So, what's this about, then?"

"His name is Daniel Fenton, currently seventeen years of age, from what our intel gathered." Maria flipped open the file, pointing to an image of a pale, raven-haired young man with endless ice-blue eyes. "He's on the run from multiple crimes he committed and from some government organizations that want his head."

Tony didn't immediately respond as he narrowed his eyes, tilting his head this way and that as if the gesture would allow him to see something that wasn't already there. "What exactly did he do?"

"Murdered his entire hometown, to start," Coulson spoke up, his bland eyes glinting in the fluorescent lighting of the room.

"This kid? He doesn't look like much, though." Stark continued staring at the image, feeling something akin to a chill crawl its way down his spine.

"You of all people should know that looks can be deceiving," Fury cut in harshly, his voice ringing with a powerful efficiency. "Keep reading."

Tony glanced down at the file again, his eyes widening as he stopped on a boldly-printed line. "Species unknown?"

"We're not sure if he's an alien, a metahuman, a mutant, or a mix between something. But all we know is that that kid is far, far from being human." Maria reached over and turned a few pages, stabbing a finger at the paper. "That's a list of all the SHIELD agents he's killed. It goes across everything on the radar, from decapitation to exsanguination to being skinned alive. This guy is not somebody to mess with and he doesn't play around."

"And your best agents couldn't deal with him? I mean, besides the ones that are on my team?"

Coulson stepped forward, his expressionless face bathed in harsh light and contrasting shadow. "That's why we called you here. We need you to track him down."

"And risk being killed by something that could be a vampire, for all I know?" Tony's eyes were hard but questioning as they darted between all three of the government agents. "He's drained people of blood before, as I see here."

Fury narrowed his eye and scowled. "You wear a metal suit. It'll take a while for him to even get to your neck, assuming he doesn't tear the thing to pieces beforehand."

"Not helping, you know." Tony stood abruptly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and strolling out into the hall.

Maria frowned and raised her chin. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going home."

Coulson tilted his head to the side as his lips attempted to twitch into something like a frown. "We need an answer, Mr. Stark."

Tony paused with his back to the three. "Yeah, and you'll get one once I've gotten my beauty sleep and come back all dressed up and nice for you."

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled widely, waving a hand in the air as he continued walking. "Bye, now."

"We're just going to let him leave, sir?" Hill demanded, fixing her stern yet irritated stare on the director.

"For now, yes. He's obviously not going to listen. Damn hero complexes," the one-eyed man muttered, stalking out of the room and vanishing down the corridor.

* * *

I leaned heavily against the nearest table as the world spun around me, twisting and writhing as pain pounded throughout my head.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I flinched and jerked away as a hand landed on my shoulder, fighting the urge to bare my teeth. One of my coworkers, a naive young man by the name of Gerard, was staring at me, concern in his eyes as he stood there with an empty tray in his hands.

I gasped, forcing my breathing to return to normal as I nodded. "Yeah. I'm...I'm fine."

"You sure? The boss told me you have some medical issues. If you want to take a breather, that's—"

"I said I'm fine." I narrowed my eyes and glared at the man, clenching my hands into fists. "Don't bother me again."

Gerard noticed the action and raised his hands, backing off the slightest bit. "That's fine, man. I was just checking. Sorry to bother you."

I watched as he turned and headed into the kitchen, my shivering increasing to harsh and brutal tremors that wracked my entire frame.

_Calm down, Daniel. Nothing bad happened, right?_

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching before I slipped out of the cafe.

I didn't bother to respond as I braced more of my weight against the table, digging my nails into the smooth wood and leaving deep furrows in the glazed material.

_"Daniel."_

I tensed as the voice of my mind—you have no mind; what are you talking about; you are controlled by _no one_ —sounded behind me. But my body decided to be uncooperative and I moaned softly as my legs threatened to give out beneath me.

"Sir, are you okay? Do you need help?"

_Help? For what?_

_Oh, wait. I'm alone in an alley, aren't I?_

_Huh? No_ _—I'm not here...just...just leave me be—_

The heat was boiling deep within me, and my other side was starting to become restless. I was just so, so hungry—and there was a meal right before—

_No!_

_No, no, no, no, no!_

Wrong.

_That's wrong—_

It's wrong.

_—no, so right—_

go ahead and do it

_You know you want to, my dear boy._

Crimson stained my vision, an all too common occurrence, and then I was lurching forward, pinning the unfortunate man to the wall behind us.

I moaned softly—breathe and writhe in ecstasy, my dear, and consume his very being—as the scent of his fear wafted towards me, throwing my head back as I dug my nails deep into his skin. He arched his back and cried out, but I muffled his useless cries with a punch to the stomach that rendered his respiratory systems incapable of performing their task.

_Daniel, we don't have time for this. There are cameras nearby._

_I don't care! We don't care! Just finish it._

There was a slight hesitation. _I cannot give you any more power in your weakened state, my boy._

_But you don't want to kill him, do you? Look at yourself, you pathetic little worm._

I groaned and bared my teeth, saliva dripping down my chin as I glared viciously at the man beneath me.

He didn't even have time to scream before I tore his body to pieces and bathed in his blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't actually decided what Avengers movie this takes place in. Originally, this story's predecessor was a mix between Danny Phantom and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but I think it'll be easier to stick with the movie universe. Also, apologies if Tony was out of character. I really haven't written him in a while, and the closest thing to the Avengers I've seen recently was Doctor Strange, and I can't even call that scene a real "Avengers" moment. I recommend seeing Doctor Strange if you haven't already; the lovely Benedict Cumberbatch is the star, and I adore him!
> 
> Okay, enough of my fangirling. Review and tell me what you think!
> 
> PS. Also, I'm not giving a definite time span for the posting wait between chapters since that'll no doubt irritate some people...so be patient, okay?
> 
> PPS. The Avengers aren't officially together in this story, but they are, if that makes sense. They're kind of off doing their own things right now, but this whole thing with Danny/Dan will eventually flare up and bring them together.
> 
> Any concerns, comments, polite suggestions, leave them in a review or PM me! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Schizophrenia, Cannibalism, Extreme Gore, Masochism, Sadism, Torture, Graphic Descriptions of Illness, Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, Slight Necrophilia, Hallucinations/Delusions, Unreliable Narrator
> 
> Author Notes: Heed the warnings, as always. I put an element of cannibalism in here, but that's only because of Danny's severe lack of nutrition and influence from Dan on what he should eat...
> 
> Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

He was still looking at her as if he would snap her neck and very much enjoy doing it.

The man had endless, soul-piercing ice-blue eyes that sent chills down her spine whenever he looked her way. It was as if he were a beast stalking its prey, nevermind the daylight, and that he would absolutely cherish the moment when his teeth sunk deep into her pale, mortal flesh.

"Ma'am? Can I take your order?"

Flinching, she looked up to see the very man she had been fearing standing over her, a pad of paper and a pen in his hands as he stared down at her. Despite the soft smile plastered on his pale face, his eyes were as dark and cold as ever, filled with the pain and suffering that only an ageless being would even begin to understand or know.

When she remembered that he was a waiter at the restaurant she was sitting in, she stuttered over her words for a moment. "Sorry. I'll take a cinnamon scone and a coffee, black, please."

He never broke eye contact with her even as his pen moved across the paper. It was then that she noticed the thick, dark scars on his skin, horrific obstructions that, without them, would have made his hands otherwise beautiful in a way. As strange as it may seem, she knew those hands could do many things, and she knew that those long and slender, deceptive fingers held a dangerously hidden power that could shatter her if she tried to fight him.

Wrenching her mind from that place, she smiled and motioned for him to leave. But the waiter was already gone, and she was left alone with a heavy chill in the air above her.

* * *

I moaned as I bent over the toilet, coughing up another mouthful of bright crimson-green fluid. Acid fire ran through my body as I trembled harshly, my breathing hoarse and ragged as I braced myself with a hand on the wall of the bathroom stall.

_Forbidden fruit or not, Daniel, you cannot deny that it was delicious._

I gagged and spat out another mouthful, grimacing deeply. _You just don't know when to shut up, do you?_

_Oh, well aren't you just a moody little bucket of sass today?_

My head was pounding now, and my skin was slicked with sweat. _Why did you make me do that, of all things?_

_Make you? I did nothing, Daniel. You just gave into your desires, is all._

I ran a trembling hand over my face and settled into a crouched position, resting my head against the cool metal wall.

_The roses are wilted, the violets are dead._

_The demons run in circles, round and round in my head._

A pained cry tore from my throat, and I was slamming my fist into the ground, leaving a considerably sized crater in the worn, sticky tile. Heat washed over me, and then I was keeling over to cough violently, pain rattling through my chest.

_Have you so little misery that you must create more? You're only harming yourself, you know._

I ignored the rumbling voices and slowly rose to my feet, panting heavily and pushing my hair out of my face.

I flinched as there was a knock on the door. "Daniel? Are you in here?"

A snarl curled back my lips and my eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Gerard?"

"Bossman wanted me to check on you. He saw you rush out in a hurry." There was a rattling as he tried to turn the doorknob. "Hey, why don't you let me in? I'm only trying to help."

I scowled and turned on the tap, splashing a handful of water on my face in an attempt to clear the fatigue and sickness from my expression. "I never asked for your _help."_ Turning, I unlocked the door and stormed past him, leaving a trail of icy wind in my wake.

* * *

_"Sir, may I ask how long you are going to pace? You have had the same window open for the past twenty minutes."_

"Quiet, Jarvis. I'm trying to think."

_"Is there something you need clarification on? The term 'necrophilia,' perhaps? It is defined as the attraction towards_ _—_ _"_

Tony grimaced and waved his hands in the air. "Really don't need that here and now, buddy, okay? Not while I'm already knee-deep in some seriously messed up crap."

_"Apologies, sir."_

The scientist sighed and ran a hand over his face, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. He was finding it rather hard to concentrate, and if that was from the alcohol or the creepy kid file in front of him, he didn't know. Peering out from between his fingers, the scientist's eyes roamed over the spread out file papers before him.

"Jarvis, bring up a map and mark all the places this kid has been."

 _"Certainly, sir."_ A moment later, a large digital map appeared before the brunette, and he narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the image.

"Am I going crazy or am I seeing a pattern here?"

_"Your sanity is forever questioned, sir, but the target seems to be traveling in the direction of New York City."_

Tony grinned widely and mentally patted himself on the back. "Okay. Any idea where he is now?"

_"If there is a pattern, he would currently be in the area of central North America."_

Sighing and stretching, the man rose to his feet and took another drink from the glass on the desk. "I'm going for a road trip, Jarvis. If anyone calls, tell them I'm off to see the wizard."

_"Very well, sir."_

* * *

**_Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast, don't you think?_ **

_"What? What does that mean?"_

**_You know very well, my dear Daniel. I can hear your thoughts, you know. Why are you thinking like this?_ **

_I began to pace back and forth, shaking my head. "I don't understand."_

**_All this power and you're still nothing but a simple-minded human, aren't you? Do you really not know what I mean?_ **

_"How about you care to explain for once in your life?" I sighed and shut my eyes, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter as a wave of nausea overcame me._

**_Breathe, Daniel. You need to breathe._ **

_"Shut...up." I coughed and grimaced at the taste of bile in the back of my throat, the ground lurching beneath my feet._

**_Enough of this, Daniel! I cannot keep offering my power if you keep rejecting it and make yourself sicker! Why do you not understand this?_ **

_"Because you're a crazed and delusional, cannibalistic monster who wants nothing more than to destroy my world!" I spun around and slammed a fist into the wall nearest me, leaving a deep, cracked indent in the brick, plaster, and mortar._

**_That may be true, but I do have your best interests at the bottom of my cold, motionless heart. After all, if you did not want me, I would not be here._ **

_"As you no doubt have to constantly point out." Straightening slowly as I regained my sense of balance, I made my way deeper into the alley to find something worthy of being my home for the night._

* * *

Tony curled his lip back slightly as he took in the dingy motel from high in the air. Jarvis had managed to pinpoint a location of the teen SHIELD was hunting down, and although it had been days ago, it was a good place to start.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, the billionaire landed and stepped out of his suit. "Keep her warm for me, buddy."

_"Yes, sir."_

As the scientist pushed open the door and stepped inside, the scent of sweat, faux leather, and mothballs hit him. He wrinkled his nose and approached the main desk, where a lanky young man with a five o'clock shadow was sitting, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey, there. I'm wondering if you've had any unusual guests lately?"

The man glanced up at the billionaire, irritation clear in his silver eyes. "Who's asking?"

With a sigh, Stark pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and slid it across the counter. "I am."

A cruel light shone in the man's eyes, and he glanced up at his visitor. "Look, buddy. This is a roadside motel. Plenty of unusual people come through here. Any person in particular?"

Stark reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small, slightly worn photo. "Have you ever seen this guy? Maybe in the last week or so?"

The receptionist shrugged, scratching absentmindedly at the side of his neck. "Yeah. Came in all in a hurry, passed me a few bills, and booked a room alone in the back. Didn't come out for a few days, and he never came to check out." He perked up almost instantly, fascination passing across his face. "Why? Is he in trouble? Have I housed an escaped convict? Are you a suit?"

"What? Do I look like a suit to you?" Tony demanded, motioning to his body. "Forget about the literal suit I'm wearing. I'm just passing through and being a nosy bugger, after all. Mind showing me to his room?"

"Sorry." The young man shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "I'm not going to lose my job today. But you can come back with a warrant, suit."

"For the love of God, I'm not a suit," Stark grumbled, running his hands over his face before reaching into his pocket. "Call this number if you decide to remember anything else." He turned and headed for the door, pausing to glance over his shoulder. "Ask for Eyepatch, and be sure to hold the phone away from your ear."

* * *

I approached the motel silently, keeping to the shadows and steeling my body against the heat that nipped at my heels. My aura was out of sync, and my core was allowing the heat of the damp, humid night to affect me.

_Daniel..._

I flinched, my breath hitching as I swayed on my feet momentarily.

_You're a monster!_

_Nothing but a freak!_

My hands trembled, and my vision flashed wildly. No. I had to control myself. I couldn't afford to lose my grasp on reality, not right now.

_"I'm wondering if you've had any unusual guests lately?"_

I froze, frost crawling up the side of my neck and face. The beast inside of me stirred, desperate to be unleashed upon the prey that was so close to us.

_Daniel, listen closely. What is he searching for?_

A snarl rumbled in the back of my throat, and I found myself baring my teeth. "They're looking for me."

_Kill them._

_You know you want to._

_Sink your teeth deep into their flesh..._

_Consume their bodies whole._

_Now._

_Now._

_Now!_

"Stop it!" Without realizing it, I had fallen to my knees, gasping hoarsely as I struggled to suppress the homicidal urges rising within me. My stomach protested, declaring its hunger to the world as the barely concealed fantasies only fueled my hunger. My breathing only became heavier as I felt heat wash over me, making my head reel and my body tremble even harder.

A chill worked its way down my spine, and the ravenous hunger in my body lessened slightly.

_I didn't ask for your help._

_Well, if you wanted to go in there and devour everyone, I could unleash your hunger and let you do so. Just don't whine and mope when you've realized what you've done._

_You act like I'm actually going to eat them._

_You haven't exactly eaten anything else, Daniel. If you gain your sustenance from fresh human corpses, then so be it._

_I don't want that and you know it._

_Your hunger says otherwise, my boy._

_Do you realize how strange it is for you to call me that? We're technically the same person._

_I was like you once, but not anymore._

I sighed and ran a hand over my face, my desire for flesh having passed for the moment. "What are we going to do about this?"

_Nothing for now. You don't want a corpse on your hands and you've got enough to worry about_ _—like your health, for that matter._

_Stop acting like you care._

_Oh, but, my boy, I do._

"Sure, you do." I managed to regain my rationality and turned to head down the hidden path I had arrived on. But before I could move, my senses screamed and my other half roared, and I found my body fading from sight.

The sound of heavy, thudding footsteps reached me, and I backed away slowly and silently. Through the trees to the side of me, a tall suit of crimson and gold armor was steadily making its way down the worn and broken, dusty path.

"Jarvis, keep searching. I could have sworn that my scanners picked up something out here earlier."

_Daniel, he is looking for you. Get out of here. Now._

_Not yet. I want to see what I'm up against._

_Obviously someone very wealthy with a lot of time on their hands. He's walking in a fancy tin suit, Daniel. Nothing good can come out of this._

_Can't blame me for being curious, can you?_

_Your curiosity will be the cause of the rest of your death, my dear Daniel. I do hope you_ _—_

_What? You hope I keel over and die?_ A snarl curled back my lips and I unintentionally clenched my hands into fists, my extended nails digging into my skin and drawing blood. My eyes clenched shut as a sudden wave of fury and disgust washed over me, and I was trembling violently as I struggled to remain rational.

My aura flared out and collided with something hard, and I hissed at the impact and stumbled back a few steps. Lips curling back in a snarl, my eyes snapped open.

The armored human was standing directly in front of me, his red-and-gold head tilted to the side. I could taste the confusion, agitation, and intrigue in his aura.

"Well, well, well. What have I found here?"

* * *

Tony Stark came to a stop as he stepped out of the motel, a chill working its way down his spine.

The feeling of eyes on him had returned.

Behind the cover of a rotted brick wall, Tony stepped into the familiar form of his armor.

"Jarvis."

_"No need to ask, sir. I am currently scanning for nearby life forms."_

"Put up defensive shielding, just in case."

_"Certainly, sir."_

The iciness of the air continued to grow stronger as the scientist surveyed the area, scanners constantly searching for any obstructions in the world around him. The suit creaked, each step becoming heavier and heavier as Stark moved closer to whatever hidden target was lurking in the shadows.

_"Sir, I am detecting a dangerous drop in temperature. Caution is strongly advised."_

Stark did not bother to reply, his head swiveling back and forth. The scanners were going haywire, static flitting across his vision as he struggled to find the source of the massive amount of energy.

_"_ _—profound amount of..._ _—nergy_ _—"_

"Jarvis?"

_"_ _—I cannot_ _—malfunction_ _—"_

The line cut off without warning, leaving the scientist completely in the dark.

A deep, feral growl rumbled through the clearing, and the air in front of him visibly trembled. For a brief moment, two molten crimson eyes tore a hole in the inventor's soul, and that same eerie chill raced down his spine once again.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and then Stark was whipping around, fists raised in the air.

That same maniacal growl sounded again, and then a monstrous force was slamming into his body. Tony clenched his teeth together as the sound of creaking metal met his ears; he could feel the bending and warping material dig into his skin and was forced to bite back a pained groan.

_"Human."_

A deep, thunderous voice tore through the tense silence, and then two powerful hands were clamping down on the billionaire's arms. With a vicious wrench, the metal was torn away and cast off to the side with a clatter.

Before him appeared none other than the very being he was hunting. Seemingly human in appearance, the target known as Daniel Fenton glared at him through incensed, murderous eyes. From within the depths of molten lava eyes, Stark could see the raging desire and ravenous hunger filling his eyes. From what he could tell, the monster before him was furious, and his fury was only fueled by the yearning for what Stark assumed to be his own flesh.

The beast pushed harder against the armored man, his gaze rapidly changing from furious to ravenous to dangerously unexpressive. A cry of pain escaped the billionaire as the metal of his suit splintered off and cut through the skin-tight shirt he was wearing, easily tearing through skin and drawing out blood.

Daniel's eyes flickered, and Tony could have sworn that they turned the briefest shade of ice blue. He hesitated as the human-like creature eyed the blood dripping down the inventor's arm, his tongue passing over his exposed teeth as something like a longing groan escaped the back of his throat.

Tony attempted to jerk away from his captor, but the raven-haired young man tightened his grasp. The sound of splintering bone echoed sharply, and Stark failed to restrain an exclamation of pain as acid fire raced through his body.

The beast lurched forward and pressed his weight into the inventor, steadily pushing against his prey until his back slammed into the ground. Gasping as he tried to catch his breath, Tony glared defiantly up at the monster and was met with a shocking sight.

Two cold, glazed ice blue eyes stared down at him through a pale and weary face. Tangled raven hair hung in thick strands around his face, neck, and shoulders, and his chest heaved with heavy and unsteady, hoarse breaths. Tears streamed down his skin and landed on the scientist's face, causing Stark to flinch back even as he glared at the beast.

"Please..." The monster's voice was soft and broken, carrying the weight of an unbeatable task that no doubt caused everlasting pain and longing. "Please, don't make me do it..."

"I'm not making you do anything," Tony muttered, watching his captor's movements carefully. "You have a mind of your own."

Daniel trembled violently, an agonized moan escaping his throat. Saliva dripped from his chin as his teeth extended to lethal points, and the faintest trace of frost began to appear on his skin. "No—stop it—I d-don't want t-to—" He groaned and doubled over, the motion causing his weight to press even harder into the restrained man beneath him. Tony's back arched against his will and he cried out as the added weight put a fiery pressure on his splintered bones.

"Don't do that. Don't scream—please..." Wide, dull blue eyes stared through a curtain of terror as the monster disguised as a young man stared down at his captive prey. "I can't handle—I'm so, so hungry..." He trembled even harder, if possible, and the dangerous chill in the air dropped to painfully numbing temperatures. "You're going to make me—God, no—!"

Leaning forward, Daniel bared his teeth and snarled, the violent crimson reappearing in his broken stare. His tongue snaked out and trailed over torn, bruised flesh, and a heavy moan left his throat as he rocked his weight against his prey.

"Kid!" Tony ground out, eyes wide with disgust and fear as he fought the urge to buck again. "Kid, listen to me. I can get you help, but you need to be cooperative."

"Cooperative? No, I don't—they're going to hurt me again! I don't want t-that!"

"Hurt you again?" Stark frowned deeply, narrowing his eyes. "What do you—?"

But Daniel was no longer listening, shaking his head back and forth as he moaned softly. Tony could not help but notice that his eyes were crimson once again, and the ice on his skin was spreading out over his entire body.

_"Hear my warning, human."_

The scientist jolted and groaned as pressure was put onto his wounds, and he stared through watering eyes at his enemy.

The beast was staring at him, but his expression was of cold indifference. His eyes held the wisdom and suffering of an ageless and wandering spirit, and his lips were turned down slightly in a frown as an unnaturally long and forked tongue passed over his chin.

_"Be very happy that we let you out of here alive."_

Before he had a chance to react, a fist was flying towards his face, and Tony Stark was knocked into a black, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's Chapter Three! Feel free to leave constructive criticism and to point out any errors if you find any! Review, please~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait. I had updated this on FanFiction and forgot to put the new chapter here...
> 
> Warnings: Schizophrenia, Cannibalism, Extreme Gore, Masochism, Sadism, Torture, Graphic Descriptions of Illness, Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, Slight Necrophilia, Hallucinations/Delusions, Unreliable Narrator
> 
> Heed the warnings, as always.

"You what?!"

Tony winced as the SHIELD Director's harsh, grating voice bit at his ears, making the incessant pounding in the back of his head declare its irritation. "You heard me for the first time, didn't you? He got away."

"And what in God's name made you think that that was okay?" Hill demanded from beside her superior, cocking her hip to the side and glaring harshly at the injured man. "Do you even begin to understand the severity of your actions?"

Stark frowned deeply, pushing back in his rolling chair and rising slowly with a wince. "Begin to understand what, exactly? Because what I know is that—once again, might I add—SHIELD has left me in the dark!"

"Don't get your shorts all in a twist, Stark. It's not all about you." She narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together, shaking her head roughly. "Certain aspects of his file were purposely left out."

"Mental illness isn't something you want to leave out! Even I know that!"

Fury narrowed his eye, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you never realized that with the list of crimes that were in the file that there might be a chance of mental illness? How simple-minded can you be?"

Stark curled his lip back, glaring at the aged African American man. "I prefer the term pragmatic, thank you very much."

"Enough, Tony. Can you tell us anything about what you saw?" Maria intervened, her expression softening slightly as she looked towards the scientist once more.

With a heavy sigh, Tony leaned against the nearest desktop counter, wincing as his bandaged and bruised body protested. "Other than the fact that he was literally contemplating whether or not to eat me?" His expression became darker, and his eyes were hooded and shadowed. "That kid...what do you even know about him?"

"Everything we do know about him is in the file you were supposed to read," Maria retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"You see, I know that's a lie." Tony straightened and began to pace, despite the pain throbbing in his head and throughout his body. "There's something wrong with him. And I'm not just talking about his cannibalistic nature."

Maria's frown deepened, and she tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you know that Daniel was captured and experimented on by government agencies?" Stark demanded, clenching his hands into fists. "Who am I kidding—of course you know. But he was so determined to—you know, what? Forget what I said."

Fury glared, stepping forward and getting in the inventor's face. "Finish your sentence, Stark."

"Or what? You'll lock me up like some kind of pet? I don't think so."

And with that, Tony Stark was gone.

* * *

_I cried out as a heavy, booted foot collided with my side, leaving me gasping for breath as tears leaked out of the corner of my eyes._

_He loomed over me, rage and maniacal desire burning in his eyes._

_I groaned as he pulled me up by my bloodstained hair, hissing at him and baring my teeth in a defiant snarl._

_"You will give me your soul. I will consume the very entirety of you, and there is nothing—nothing—you can do to stop me!"_

_I gasped as an aching fire tore my body, but I fought through the pain and forced myself to grin at him._

_"There's nothing that's keeping me from trying."_

_A faint flicker of surprise shone in his eyes, and then he was kicking me in the side once more, baring his teeth and snarling viciously._

_"You idiotic, ignorant human!" He was all but roaring at me, fury filling his very being as he trembled with each step he took towards me. "Do you really think you can defeat me? That you can defy me? You, nothing but a measly, disgusting insect?"_

_I coughed, and the bitter metallic taste of blood formed in the back of my mouth. "You can't do anything to me. You're not real."_

_"I'm not real?"_

_I snarled at him as he pulled me up again, his fangs bared and his forked tongue flicking out at me._

_"Is that true, my dear boy? Then why are you in so much pain?"_

_Shifting in his grasp, I bit back a groan of pain as a vicious fire tore through me. "Because I'm in a dream and...and you can't hurt me physically. So none of this is real."_

_"Then what are the bruises and scars you wake up with from?"_

_He laughed as realization dawned on me, and I glared at him as he threw me to the side._

_"Finally figured it out, have you? I am forever real, and I will forever harm you. Because, my dear boy, I am your worst nightmare."_

My eyes shot open, and I lurched to the side to choke up a startling amount of blood. Damn dreams were starting to affect me even more.

Groaning as my head began to pound, I laid back on my makeshift pallet and covered my eyes with an arm. There was a faint throbbing making its gradual way through the rest of my body, just another irritation to add to the list.

The incident with the armored man was clear in the back of my mind. The monsters in my head had taken over my body, but I had been free to watch.

_But you didn't want to kill him. Why not?_

I scowled and turned to lay on my side, letting out a deep breath. "I don't want to kill anymore."

_So you weren't hungry?_

"I've never eaten a human corpse before. Or any unusual corpse, for that matter."

_But you find appeal in the thought, don't you?_

My hands were trembling now, and my breathing was becoming hoarse and shaky. "I can survive enough on my own."

_You weakling. You know you're not getting any better. Why haven't your wounds healed yet?_

"W...Wounds?"

My body screamed at me, a horrific cacophony of pleas and cries for help. Heat raced through my limbs, and I found myself staggering as the ground lurched and groaned violently beneath my feet.

_See? You've got nothing. No power, no strength, no resolve. You are nothing but a weak little brat._

_No, I'm not. I will become stronger. I have to._

_What? So you can try and stop your inevitable fate?_

A growl rumbled in the back of my throat as I rocked back and forth, struggling to keep my breathing even. "There is no such thing as fate."

_You're caging yourself in, you know. Being backed into a corner does things to a person._

Hmph. Fate and cages. They were more similar than one would care to believe.

* * *

The Master of Time whispered to the bloody, deranged warrior, primal rage flashing in the depths of his crimson gaze.

He leaned over the restrained ex-human—the monster that had destroyed so many of his own kind and had taken countless lives, who had extinguished species after species—and narrowed his eyes.

"You cannot withstand the storm."

The warrior smiled back, venom dripping from his tongue and eyes.

"I am the storm."

The pale, blue-skinned beast let out a heavy sigh, a sound that personified his endless weariness. "Then let me tell you this. Do not venture gently into that good night."

The warrior's eyes deepened as ageless crimson eyes fixed onto what little remained of his soul. He watched the movements of the Time Master above him, an abysmal amusement burning like some strange mixture of emotion.

A faint light shone from beneath ethereal sky blue skin as the larger monster tilted his head and stared coldly down at the shackled beast. "Rage. Rage on and push against the dying light."

The monster laughed, his forked tongue running over sharpened teeth. "Or what?"

His tail writhing beneath him, the Time God moved so he was nose-to-nose with the shackled man.

"Complete what you have come to do, or I will come to devour your very existence."

He waved his staff, and then the world was enveloped in darkness.

* * *

_He watched as the monster before him shifted in his seat, his arms pulling at the restraints that bound him._

_A shudder went down his spine as those haunting crimson eyes fixed on him._

_"Hey, there. Do you mind loosening these a bit? My range of motion is a bit limited, and I can't feel my arms anymore."_

_He arched his back and grimaced as a wave of electricity raced through his body, baring his teeth and snarling as he rocked in his chair._

_"Shut it, ghost boy. You have no idea what kind of mess you're in, do you?"_

_The ghost glared up at the federal agent through bloodstained hair, ruby eyes filled with rage and hunger. "Bastard." His hips jerked forward and the chains creaked ominously. "The pain only gets me off, agent."_

_His chilling scream filled the air as a violent surge of electricity ran through his body once more._

_The smaller of the two federal employees shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses. "Boss, how are we going to get information out of him if he's screaming his lungs out?"_

_"Shut up. This monster deserves to pay for what he's done."_

_The young man chained in the chair began to laugh, a cataclysmic and degrading sound that sent chills throughout the room. His eyes burned with a feral, yearning light as he glared at the two federal agents before him. "You think I'm a monster? That's not what I am."_

_"Oh, really?" the first man snapped before his partner had a chance to stop him, stepping forward and leaning down to sneer at the half-human. "Then what are you?"_

_"You're degrading me," the deranged ghost hissed, trailing his tongue over exposed razor-sharp teeth as his body shook violently. "By calling me a monster, you're classifying me with the worst of the worst, the dregs in the pits of hell, the beasts no one wants to know about. I am not a monster. That's what you call me to make you feel better."_

_"That's enough." The elder agent flipped a switch on the wall, and then the room became black for but a brief moment. Without warning, violent crimson lights began to flash and then an alarm was sounding as, with a heavy and mechanical groan, the reinforced metal doors of the prisoner's cell hissed shut._

_"You fool." The larger of the two agents turned on his heel to glare at his companion. "You know not to provoke the monster. Weren't you taught that before you came here? That Phantom is not to be trifled with?"_

_Eyes widening a bit in shock and embarrassment, the other man looked away and frowned, crossing his arms over his wide chest. "My apologies, sir. It won't happen again."_

_"Good. Now we've got some work to do. I'd better not see you or hear that you've messed with Phantom."_

_"Yes, sir."_

* * *

I was floating in a dark, furious wasteland filled with lust and hunger. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I was physically trembling and breathing harshly.

_Why won't you give in?_

_Why won't you let us in?_

_You know you want to..._

I groaned and turned over on my side, wrapping my arms tight around my torso. It was nothing but a dream. They couldn't hurt me here. Not now.

_A dream? Is that the lie you've been telling yourself?_

I moaned and writhed on my bed, sweat drenching my skin and my throat working hard to filter air into my lungs. My actions only seem futile, and I continued to tremble as I shook my head back and forth, my raven hair tangling in violent locks all around me and spreading out in vicious waves over my makeshift pillow.

My nails dug deep into my skin, drawing a deep moan from the back of my throat. Pain. I had to feel pain. It was the only way I felt truly alive.

I had to draw myself back to reality. I had to physically feel, if not only for the protection of those around me. My other half drew some sort of twisted, maniacal pleasure in mentally and physically degrading others. The pain gave me control over my senses and helped me fight to stay in control of my own body.

_Those dark and endless eyes were boring into my soul. I knew there was no escape, nothing that could keep me from my inevitable fate._

_Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words carve deeper than any knife ever will._

_Reciting truths, now, are we? You're not even trying to convince yourself anymore._

_What's the point? You contradict everything I say._

_Enough of that. You know you are_ _—_

_Nothing but a coward, aren't you? A weak, pathetic, insignificant worm!_

I gasped and found myself smiling, my cracked and bleeding lips curled back to expose my unnaturally sharp teeth.

_Leaves in my hair, demons in my head, agony in my veins, madness in my mind, hatred in my soul, storm in my heart._

Storm in my heart, demons in my head, leaves in my hair, madness in my mind.

Crazy. Wild. Uncontrollable. Untamable.

Nothing but a beast.

Numb.

_You're broken. Can't be fixed, can't be saved, can't be healed._

You can't break what's already been broken.

_Are you happy?_

_No._

"Yes."

_So why do you lie?_

"It's better that way. I'm better off that way."

_By trying to convince yourself?_

"So others won't see the complete and utter mess I am."

No one answered. No one asked questions.

My body finally relaxed, and I drifted off into yet another land lingering between the depths of consciousness and sleep.

* * *

Tony Stark paced the length of his lab, his arms crossed gingerly over his chest and his bandaged fingers drumming out an incessant, nameless rhythm.

"Jarvis, give me a report."

_"Apologies, sir, but the scans are not showing anything. It appears our target has cloaked himself rather well."_

"Rather well means there's something not well about it. Keep digging."

_"Of course, sir."_

With a sigh, the scientist leaned against a nearby countertop and ran a hand over his face. He really had no idea what he was doing, but all he knew was that he had to find the kid before SHIELD got a hold of him.

_"Sir, I believe I have found something."_

Stark visibly perked up, looking from over his bandaged hands. "Hit me."

_"There have been strange phenomena surrounding a small town up north. Despite the fact that it is currently spring, regular bouts of flurries, thunderstorms, and morning frost have been plaguing it for the past week."_

"Any idea what he's doing there?"

_"The most logical guess would be hiding from his pursuers."_

"Thanks for the snark. Send the coordinates to my suit and warm her up."

_"Very well, sir."_

* * *

I woke with a start, my body trembling and sweat coating my skin. Something had woken me, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

_Get up and hide right now, Daniel._

My hands twitching uncontrollably, I scrambled out of my bed and allowed my body to become invisible and intangible. _What is going on?_

_There is someone on the roof._

I felt my heart rise to my throat, and a wave of heat and nausea washed over me. _You know I can't_ _—_

_You have no choice. You cannot be captured again. You will not be captured again._

_No! I can't kill again!_

_Daniel, listen to me. You've killed before; don't deny it. You have to in order to stay safe, and that is exactly what you have to do now._

_Don't justify my actions. I will be held accountable. I'm sure about that._

_You can be sure once you've gotten rid of your pursuer._

I flinched as a heavy thud sounded on the apartment roof, my hypersensitive hearing making the noise much louder than it needed to be. A scowl pulled back my lips as a faint ringing sounded in one of my ears, and I hissed and pressed the heel of my palm against it in an effort to make it stop.

_Focus on your breathing. It will make the ringing go away for now._

I stifled the whine that was threatening to rise in the back of my throat by shoving my hand into my mouth, my sharpened teeth easily sinking into my skin. An explosion of rotten iron filled my mouth, and I rocked with the effort of holding back my moans and cries.

The sounds on the roof were steadily coming closer, each resounding thud sending a chill down my spine. Maybe this was all just a dream. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. I had trouble distinguishing the thin line between truth and reality, and my decisiveness was slowly being corrupted and spoiled by irrationality and the darkest desires that rested at the bottom of my slow-beating heart.

I frowned as I realized that the supposed footsteps on the roof had stopped and that the ringing in my ears had subsided. Slowly rising to my feet, I took in a deep breath to steady myself and slowly moved over to the window.

_Daniel, do not go over there. Nothing good will come out of it._

_Nothing good ever happens because of my curiosity,_ I snapped back, my fingers twitching at my sides. I was too restless—should anyone decide to attack me, I doubted I would be able to fend them off long before my other half decided to take over. I knew that both my physical and mental states were drastically weakened—the state that switching between my normal self and the beast within drained me more than I cared to account for.

_You make it seem like you have a say in the matter, my boy. I only take over when you realize you're too weak to fight._

_We both share the same body. If I'm weak, that means you are._

A sinister chuckle echoed in my head, making me grimace and narrow my eyes. _You have yet to experience the full range of our abilities, boy._

_You already know my answer to that._ My head turned sharply as I sensed a presence looming close to the window, which I had left ajar as a result of my core being out of sync and my body temperature no longer being regulated as it should have been.

An unintentional growl escaped the back of my throat as I picked up the scent of human flesh nearing me. Recognition sent a shudder down my spine before I could stop it, and I found myself trembling from head to toe as I literally backed myself up into a corner.

It was the man I had attacked all of those days ago—who am I kidding; it could have been weeks, for all I know—and the one I had, for some reason, allowed to escape with his life and dignity, albeit injured and humiliated.

_Don't let him escape this time. Make sure you finish the job._

_Oh? I thought you didn't want to kill anymore, Daniel._

_Kill him kill him **kill him**_

A moan burst forth as something similar to some sick, twisted pleasure or horror overcame me, and I was gasping as my skin became slick with sweat. I couldn't give in—I would _not_ give in.

The armored man's scent was becoming stronger in the cold, violent wind, and in my terror, I felt the temperature of the room drop significantly. God, no. I was losing control again. I couldn't afford to. Not now, not now, not now.

_You can do this. You can do this. You can stop doing this. You will stop doing this._

A rush of adrenaline filled me, but I took it by the throat and strangled the life out of it. Adrenaline was nothing but a myth, and it did not a single thing to help you.

It was then that I looked up from my seat in the corner of the room and saw the crimson and gold mask of the man I almost killed and was struggling not to do so now.

* * *

Stark moved slowly, taking in his surroundings with a careful, wary eye. Inwardly, he could not help but feel a sense of bitterness rise up in the back of his throat in a steady flood. There was just something about rundown, moldy hotels that made him want to turn right back around and bolt out of there.

The silence followed him like a wolf stalking its prey, its claws scratching with a contradictory delicacy. Perspiration trickled in a briny river down the valleys of his skin, and he felt condensation build up beneath his mask as he found himself struggling to keep his breathing even. The events of his last encounter with this thing—this thing that was posing as human, that had fought against its urges to devour every little bit and piece of him—was still fresh in the back of his mind, and the insistent aches and pains that throbbed throughout his body were a constant, vigilant reminder that he was not as strong as he thought he was.

An owl hooted in the forest of the night, and he let out a shaky breath as he continued on across the weather-beaten roof.

His scanners beeped, startling him out of the eerie desolation of his thoughts. Shaking his head to regain his composure, Tony paused to look around.

He hadn't traveled far, and the weight of the cold, dreary night pressed heavily on his shoulders. The ache that had been lingering in his head was beginning to stir, and he pressed his lips together and wished that he had taken his medication before he had left.

The strange energy signal he had picked up mere seconds ago was rapidly fading, thrumming in and out of existence in a panicked, staccato rhythm. Something was happening to the boy to make his energy levels spike and surge like that. But the signal wasn't physically moving, so the scientist knew that he was in a room somewhere out of reach of the general public.

_Please...please, don't make me do it._

Tony clenched his teeth together and forced down the urge to turn and get the heck out of there. The tendons and veins visibly stood out on his neck, hands, and arms as he stamped down the most basic, primal urge hidden deep within him—the simple fight-or-flight instinct.

_Don't do that. Don't scream_ _—please...I can't handle—I'm so, so hungry..._

Lurching on his feet, the aches and pains in his body screamed their existence as the inventor made his legs cooperate, taking him mere steps closer to his quarry.

"Enough of that," he muttered aloud to the cold, unforgiving night air. "He's just a boy. He can't hurt you."

_Much._

Something like an incensed groan escaped his lips, and he suddenly felt the urge to slap himself in the face. He couldn't afford to be paranoid and trembling in his boots like a toddler worried about the monster beneath his bed, not when so much was at stake—his life, for example—and he had come all of this way.

With the icy glare of the moon at his back, he came to a stop near the edge of the roof. Activating his boot and gauntlet thrusters, Stark hesitated in the air.

The window was open as if someone was expecting his arrival.

A pure white curtain waved in the suddenly colder wind, beckoning him inside.

With a wary glance over his shoulder, the scientist flew inside and landed as quietly as he could while clad in a metal suit.

The room was as normal as a motel room ought to be—the wallpaper was torn and stained, the carpet had the look of being vacuumed one too many times, and there was that lingering and nauseating smell of mothballs and human perspiration. The smell, however, did not permeate the room, and it only seemed to come from the area near the window.

Replacing that smell was the declarative and violent presence of iron—more specifically, blood.

A flash of toxic emerald appeared in the corner of his peripheral vision, and he tensed and readied for an attack.

"The blood is mine..."

Tony's body coiled like a snake preparing to attack its prey, and his scanners searched the area frantically in an attempt to ease his panicked mind.

"You know I'm s-sick...but I don't want...to hurt you..."

Tony narrowed his eyes as a soft, broken voice echoed towards him. Raising his gauntlet to allow the arc reactor's energy to serve as a light, he shone it across the room in an effort to find the owner.

A flash of shadow darted across his field of vision, and then a feral hiss sounded. There was a loud scrambling, scratching noise, nails of glass stretching over a worn chalkboard. "D-Don't...turn it off. H-He...I—we don't like the light."

Stark hesitated, but slowly did as told. "Where are you?"

"It's...better if you don't know. I can see you, but you don't want to see me."

"I can be the judge of that," the scientist countered. "You're just scared and alone. I know how that feels."

The boy whined, a strange and eerie, high-pitched sound that caused the throbbing in Tony's head to declare its appearance once again. "I—I don't like judgment. It...they judged me and I ended up...this way."

"I can help you. But you need to be honest with me. I need to know what's wrong before I can help you."

There was a faint pause in which heavy, ragged breathing could be heard.

"Y-You promise not t-to judge m-me?"

Stark sighed and felt the urge to run his hand over his face. "Look, kid. It's in human nature to judge because it's what we do. But I'll try my hardest, okay?"

Those abysmal radioactive green eyes blinked once at him before changing into a long, cold stare. "Break your promise...and I break you, okay?"

Tony Stark sighed and settled into a more comfortable position. It definitely was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Tony's trying to get to know Danny better...if that's what you want to believe. I feel like my writing was all over the place with this, so I apologize for that. Also, Danny has advanced senses, so he can smell/hear/see/taste/touch things and get an extremely sensitive vibe from them (hence the use of hypersensitivity somewhere in this chapter).
> 
> Any grammatical/spelling/typing errors, feel free to point them out. I may have missed a few.
> 
> Don't forget to review, pleaze! I need to know what you all think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, so sorry for the really long wait! I forgot to update Corpse Flower on AO3! That aside, enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Warnings: Schizophrenia/Mental Health Issues, Cannibalism, Extreme Gore, Masochism, Sadism, Torture, Graphic Descriptions of Illness, Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, Slight Necrophilia, Hallucinations/Delusions, Unreliable Narrator
> 
> Author Notes: Heed the warnings, as always.

He knew the reason the darkness terrified him. The shadows who would normally serve him betrayed him because they served the beast within him. Once he came to realize that— _yes, realize it all you want, my dear little insect_ —then that time would be when they served him and him only.

He moaned and tilted his head back, running trembling hands over his pallid, sweat-slicked face. He had to focus. Focusing was the key to waking up from this nightmare.

_Oh, maybe you really have grown up. You've become such a wonderful young man._

He scoffed, a shaky grin appearing on scarred, bloody lips. _Grown up? Me? Killing people does change a person, you now._

_It also makes you stronger. Your resolve is strengthening and so is your hunger._

The young man rocked on his feet, hatred boiling up in his throat. Hatred for the thing he was destined to become, an acidic resentment for the beast scratching at the surface from deep within him.

_I am not hungry I am not hungry I am not hungry_

_Liar liar liar_

_Don't deny anything_ _—you know you can't fight it._

The young man groaned loudly, a sound displaying deeply hidden pleasure and agonizing fury. His skin was trembling and standing on edge—writhing over his bones and screaming in fury, declaring his ecstatic pain to the world—and his deepest and darkest desires, the ones he hid in the recesses of his mind, came out to play with his already twisted reality.

Shaking his head roughly, he braced his weight against the nearest wall as his body swayed. Sweat gleamed on his skin and he gasped for breath, attempting to get his resistant body under control before deciding to go out into the wretched, broken human world.

_Breathe and calm down. Just breathe and relax._

_Can't hurt you, can't hurt you. They can't hurt you._

Letting out a trembling breath, he dug sharpened teeth into his hand, moaning at the explosion of corrupted iron in his mouth. It wasn't nearly enough, but the taste of blood was just enough—he was tricking himself; nothing could calm the roaring beast within him—to sate his raging appetite.

_Blood on the walls, blood on my hands. Blood on my tongue._

_Blood in my soul._

* * *

Tony Stark could feel the watching him out of the corner of his eyes, forcing his breathing to remain even and steady.

Daniel was becoming increasingly volatile, switching back and forth between a terrified, childlike visage to the brutal, murderous beast merely wearing his skin.

"Stop staring at me."

The scientist was torn from his thoughts as the dark, monotonous voice of the boy sounded, increasing the pure coldness of the room. There was the faint rustling of something rough and papery—deep inside, Tony had an idea of what it could be, but he chose not to dwell on that realization—as the ailing male shifted his weight into another seemingly more comfortable position.

"There's not exactly anything else to look at in here. I didn't know I was looking at you."

"Liar. You're—that's not true. You're lying to me."

Sensing the rising agitation in his opponent's voice, Stark raised his hands in surrender to show that he meant no harm. "My eyes aren't like yours. I can't see as well as you can in the dark, okay?"

The boy whimpered and let out a heavy, trembling breath. "O-Okay. I—ah, d-don't—I didn't know—I can't remember things clearly anymore."

"That's completely fine. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"You mean right now?"

"Yes, right now."

The young man shifted again, moaning and muttering foreign words to himself. "What about later?"

Tony shook his head, rubbing the back of his hand over his eyes. "That's up to you."

"Why...why are you trying to help me?"

The scientist hesitated, his heart skipping a beat for a brief moment as the dreaded question came to light. "You're broken, and I want to fix you. It's as simple as that."

"Why?"

Tony shifted in agitation, pressing his lips together and feeling an ache rise in the back of his head. "Daniel, I—"

"Don't lie to me. We need to know why you're doing this."

Those words caused a spark of interest and something like caution to appear, and the inventor tilted his head to the side. "Why do you refer to yourself as we?"

"I—" Daniel cut off and moaned suddenly. In response, the temperature of the room decreased dramatically and the scientist's teeth began to chatter.

Stark's eyes widened and he fought the urge to bolt to his feet. "Daniel, what's wrong? What are you doing?"

"He—mmm, he doesn't like you...he d-doesn't like you..." The lights—which Tony had assumed were dead—flickered for but a brief moment, and he caught a glimpse of the pale, raven-haired boy whose capture was one of SHIELD's top priorities. He was curled up in the furthest corner of the room, his legs drawn up to his chest and his long, scarred arms wrapped around his knees. Through unkempt bangs, two burning blood-red eyes pierced the scientist's soul, causing dread to race down his spine.

_He's losing control and you can't do a thing to stop him._

His hands twitched and he felt the armor become a dead, heavy weight against his body. Whatever unnatural cold that followed the demon-like child was hindering his movements, and even though he knew that Daniel had torn through the reinforced metal like scissors through paper, the armor was his best defense against the supernatural strength his opponent possessed.

Through the open window, the cold wind whistled and the molded brick walls of the motel building groaned in protest.

"Daniel, I already told you why I'm here. I want to help you."

"You can't help me. I-I'm broken. I'm damaged goods...n-nothing but t-trash—"

Fury boiling in his veins, the older man stood his ground and glared at the spot where he had last seen the boy. "No, you are not! I know about the accident, Daniel, and I know what happened in Amity Park! That was not your fault, and by God, don't you try to convince me otherwise." Gathering up his fading courage, Tony Stark stood and straightened to his full height and moved closer to his supposed enemy. "I am not leaving here until I hear your side of the story, and I am not changing my mind!"

"Liar! You don't want to know anything! You'll mock me a-and laugh at me and—?"

The room was filled with silence, and the bitter coldness of the air dissipated.

The boy took a shuddering breath and trembled in the frost-glazed metal arms embracing him. An all too familiar acid fire burned in his throat and eyes and he swayed on his feet, tears of unspoken pain trailing over his lifeless skin.

Tony grimaced and pressed the younger male close to his armored chest, the hair standing up on the back of his neck as he fought the basic instinct to either get away from or to incapacitate the vulnerable beast in front of him. Ignoring that side of his conscience, he hesitantly placed a hand on the back of the trembling child's back.

Daniel tensed at the action but did nothing to break free.

Something in Tony's heart cracked as violent, shuddering sobs echoed within the darkened silence of the room, and he tilted his head back and shut his eyes, wordlessly comforting the boy who lived through hell on earth and was trapped in eternal suffering.

* * *

_There is something that you should know about me. You may or may not already know it, depending on who you are, but I am going to tell this story regardless. I will tell my story, and you have no choice but to listen._

_I have done some horrific things in my lifetime. That I cannot deny. But I have justifications, and even if you don't believe them, I do_ _—and that is what counts in this crazy, twisted world._

_Understand this. I am not like an ordinary human. I am not an ordinary creature and I have never been. I have my madness, my sickness that plagues me wherever I go and spoils and rots the very earth I step on. I live in another world, another dimension, and I do not have the time for things that have no soul._

_You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I've done. My physical nature is wild and divinely obtained, and I have the blood of the victims of the eternal cosmos boiling through my veins. My world is a mess and I lost myself in the wonderland of insanity that nipped at my heels._

_I am an outcast, one of the broken ones; but today I belong._

_I am not one of you, nor will I ever be._

_I have killed many. Oh, so many. I regret only a select few, but the others—oh, how I took a sincere, deeply felt pleasure in them. I knew I had the power to make them beg and whine like the worms they were, and I did it. I held their lives in the hands of the mighty and had reveled in their pathetic, tortured screams._

_That is one the reasons they are all terrified of me. I hold the power of a magnificent empire in my hands, and they know nothing about it and cannot fight it or myself._

_Oh, but you have no idea how messed up I am._

_And this is only the beginning._

* * *

Clint Barton strolled down the darkened hallway. Humming a quiet tune he had learned while staying at a little pub in the backwater ends of Moscow, he moved without a sound towards the open docking bay.

He was in the mood to look at the clouds today.

Nothing too drastic or counterintuitive—he just really needed the peace and quiet.

Coulson had approached him a few days ago with a thick manila file in his hands, instructing him—though it could be seen as an order—to read over it and get back to him on it.

All in all, it had been pretty disturbing.

Despite the fact that he was a former assassin turned government agent, there were certain things in the file that sent a shudder through his bones. Things that ranged from dismemberment to exsanguination to cannibalism—all things that no _human_ would be capable of.

The clouds strolled lazily across the expanse of the sky, wisps of white flashing across a clear blue blanket.

Freedom personified. Mocking him while he was trapped within a floating metal cage.

"Barton."

The archer pressed his lips together, arching his back and stretching in the warmth of the sun.

"Have you made your decision?"

Restraining the urge to make an irritated noise, the man turned over on his side and shut his eyes. Warmth and air and wind, all flowing over his marred skin.

"I'm trying to relax."

He was a bird—a falcon, a hawk, a bird of prey—with clipped, bloody stumps for wings. A bird denied the blissful feeling of the wind on his feathers and the freedom of soaring high above the rest of the world.

"We need an answer."

With a sigh, the archer slowly sat up and fixed his gaze on the intruder. "You're all so rude. I'm just trying to take a little nap here."

"An answer. Now."

The clouds seemed to gaze down on him, and the sun burned down on the strange world beneath it.

"Fine. I'll help you look for the kid."

Maria Hill nodded with something like a grim smirk curling back her thin lips. "Good. Then you can come with me."

"Huh? I can't finish my nap?"

"You never even started your nap." She stopped and glanced over her shoulder, and exhausted irritation clear in her dark eyes. "Now, are you coming or not? We don't have all day."

Barton shrugged and grabbed his quiver and bow, pressing his lips together in a wry smirk. "You've got a point there."

**... ... ...**

His skin prickled as they made their way down a cold, dimly lit hallway. Narrowing cold blue eyes, the archer took in his surroundings with the caution and alertness he was known for. "Where are we going?"

Maria glanced over her shoulder, seemingly unaffected by the cold and the darkness. "You'll have to wait and see, Barton."

"Hmm." The archer's eyes were darting around the hall, taking in as much as he could and committing what he saw to memory for future reference.

"You'll be back here soon enough. There's no need for that photographic memory of yours."

The man frowned and ran his hands over his exposed arms. "I don't have a photographic memory."

He could all but feel her smirk through the few feet of space between them. "You might as well."

The archer frowned and trailed his hand over the cool metal wall, his callused fingers dipping into the many crevices and cracks. He watched as the woman before him came to a stop near a large reinforced metal door, entering a pin number into the keypad. Barton noticed that the door had no handle, and the keypad seemed to be the only way in the room.

Now his full curiosity was peaked. What exactly was in this room? Why did they have to keep it in the darkest, coldest part of the Helicarrier?

"Have you eaten lunch already, Barton?"

The blue-eyed man's frown deepened as he tilted his head to the side. "What exactly is in there, Maria?"

At that moment, the door hissed open and a rush of icy air filled the hallway. The woman's face was bathed in cold white light as she turned to the special agent.

"Well? You'll have to come in here and see for yourself."

Casting her a dark glance, he pushed past her and stepped into the room. Almost immediately, his skin tingled and crawled over his bones, and the hair at the nape of his neck stood on end.

Spread out on the table before him was the remnants of a female human corpse. Most of the limbs were hanging on by strips of skin and bone and tendons, and the pungent aroma of decaying flesh and bodily fluids permeated the air heavily. With narrowed eyes, Barton slowly approached the body, examining every detail with a critical glance. From what he could tell, her skull had been crushed in what seemed like a fit of rage. Bits of bone and skin hung on to her severely emaciated frame and the odor that was emanating from her body was almost enough to send him reeling.

Scowling and pressing a hand over his mouth and nose, the archer turned to the woman and sent a scathing glare towards her.

Maria's expression was as grave as ever as she stared at the woman's remains on the table. "What you see here is the handiwork of the kid you were talking about earlier."

"Who is this?"

Maria sighed and moved past the disgusted man, standing at the head of the examination table. "She was a top agent in black operations. Her last mission was to watch our target's movements. He caught her and this is what he did to her while under a constricted time frame."

"He was pressed for time and managed to do _this."_

Shadows flickered over her pale, light-bleached face as she met his gaze. "Exactly."

Clint tilted his head and peered at the gaping, festering hole in the woman's chest. "Where is her heart?"

"It was the only thing that wasn't present at the scene."

"I'm assuming he ate it."

She let out a tense breath through her nose. "That wouldn't be far from any other things we've guessed."

Clint sniffed and grimaced at the smell as he ran a hand through his hair. "You showed me this because you want me to avenge her."

Maria's eye twitched and she stared down at her former fellow agent. "Is it working?"

Barton's frown seemed carved into his face as he shook his head once. "No. I never knew her and I don't intend to carry out your grudges. But I'll be sure to get answers out of the kid."

"He isn't a kid."

"From what the file said, he's only seventeen and that's a kid in my book," the archer muttered, turning and heading into the hall. He stopped for a brief moment, turning his head to stare at her over his shoulder. "Even though you don't believe he's human, I'm not judging anything until I get all of the facts."

With that, he turned and vanished down the hall.

* * *

He glanced down at his watch, feeling the urge to tap his foot in impatience.

"I'm not going to ask again, Jarvis."

_"My sincerest apologies, sir, but I am under the strictest of orders."_

The man's hands twitched, and he felt the corner of his lip curl down slightly in something like a frown. "You want to make me use my gun, don't you."

_"That was not a question, Agent Coulson. Additionally, any damage done to the building will be charged directly to you."_

"I'm getting impatient." He was pressed for time and had some more concerning manners at hand. But first, he had to find Tony Stark.

_"I do not have the pleasure of experiencing impatience. Would you kindly care to explain?"_

"You are in charge of the home Tony Stark lives in. Impatient is his second nature."

_"Please vacate the premises, sir."_

"Or what?"

_"I have the ability to forcibly make you leave."_

Coulson had to think for a minute about the fact that a computer was threatening to shoot him. "And I have the ability to electronically dismantle you, so I won't ask again."

_"I am not at discretion to advise anyone where Mr. Stark is."_

Resisting the urge to sigh, the government agent glanced away and then looked back at his watch. "I'm not wasting any more time here, Jarvis. Our intel says Tony left sometime around early evening on Wednesday. In case you haven't noticed, it is Thursday evening."

_"I am well aware of the time, Agent Coulson."_

"Did Tony find out where the subject was staying?"

There was a faint whir and Coulson could have sworn there were eyes on him. _"I do not comprehend your question."_

"Is Tony Stark with our current subject of interest, Daniel James Fenton?"

_"Answering your question would be against my instructions, and I am advised not to tell anyone information about Mr. Stark's whereabouts."_

With that, there was another whir—louder this time—and then it was silent.

Coulson stared up at the camera he had been addressing, his eye twitching slightly in his faintly unrestrained irritation.

_Did a computer just hang up on me?_

* * *

_They didn't need to control me._

_What they wanted was to unleash me._

_They were all fools, the idiotic lot of them. They were attempting to harness a power they barely understood._

_They had the gall to call me a traitor when they betrayed their own species. They committed the horrible taboo, experimenting on a "human child." I should have laughed in their faces and spit my blood and saliva at them. I should have crushed their bones and tore their flesh from their bodies strip after strip._

_Instead, I just watched them carve open my body to see what made me tick._

_The unbridled hatred in my bones continued to grow and fester, even to this day. They thought they could control me, of all things. The very monster they feared and wanted to destroy. My power continues to be a force they cannot and will not ever understand. Even if they wanted to control me again, they would have to find me first._

_What I had done the last time they had captured me didn't help my situation, either._

_The two agents that had been assigned to watch me during my time in that dreaded cell had finally gone too far. Over and over and over again, I had been victim to method after method of interrogation, from electrocution to bleeding to peeling off my skin strip by strip. They had pushed the beast too far, and it had ended in their destruction._

_It always seemed to end with that. No matter where I went, there was always something or someone that managed to send me tumbling off of the cliff of my sound reasoning and control. In all honesty, it was rather troublesome, but once I let the beast take over, the pain in my heart slowly ebbed away._

_It's still there, though. The pain, that is. My heart aches and boils and roars at me, begging for the fulfillment of its deepest and darkest desires. It could range from minimal and nagging, like the voice at the back of your mind that told you what was right and what was wrong, or it could be as gruesome and brutal as the times I tore screaming humans and victims apart limb from limb. In actuality, the monster within my soul was nothing but the embodiment of what I was underneath the protection of my frail, embittered human body._

_Humans are so fragile, don't you know? It only takes the slightest push to break them, to make them crumble beneath your hands like the damp sand at the bottom of a beach's land or the oldest of papers, dried into nothing but a husk of their former selves underneath the unrelenting hand of time._

_It was my job to explore just what made humans tick. I had to know. It was some strange, deeply buried desire that burned within the darkened depths of my soul as my curiosity took hold on my mind. I just had to know why they were so fragile, so tender and emotional. I couldn't seem to understand it anymore. Yes, I had been human, but that was a long, long time ago, and I can't seem to remember what it actually means to be human. I have to guess and act most of the time_ _—the presence of those who had been my friends and family helped in the long run, too._

_No. I mustn't think of them. I can't think of them._

_it's all your fault, demon_

_monster_

_abomination_

_No. That's not what I am. I am—was—I am okay. I will—never be—okay._

_Remember when I said that this was only the beginning? Well, what happens next is nothing short of amusing. At least, to me. I find it all very amusing, yet sickening. But I know you. You'll rear back in horror and disgust and wonder how something that used to be human could amount to doing such things._

_I'm here to tell you that I am not the monster._

_You are._

* * *

Tony watched the young man drift into a fitful, uncomfortable sleep, feeling the iciness of his body through the broken metal of the suit. Frost coated his beard and moustache, and he dimly realized that he was shivering rather violently even with his armor covering the rest of his body.

The boy moaned, trembling in his sleep as he shifted in his captor's arms. A faint breath escaped his mouth, a cloud of ice and moisture that appeared with a sort of mesmerizing and authoritative stance. Stark watched the tiny crystals rise and fade away in the air, blinking heavily as the embrace of exhaustion tried to overcome him. With a grimace, he glanced down at the boy and observed him carefully, keeping his motions to a minimum in an attempt to be as attentive and non-distracting as possible. Despite appearances, the ever-present shudders of fear and agitation still plagued his mind, digging their sharpened, venomous talons firmly on his sense of reality. He had to stay calm, regardless of the fact that a monster who had committed numerous atrocities was currently spread out asleep in his arms.

Daniel Fenton took in a shuddering breath, a frown appearing on pale, bloodless lips. Tony felt the sudden urge to touch the boy's skin, to try and gather some of that warmth that just had to be buried deep within him somewhere. Based on the SHIELD file, they were unable to determine Daniel's species—if anything, he had once been a human, but it was difficult to find out what he was exactly. An alien, maybe, but there would have been some sort of commotion that would've arose with his arrival to Earth. The only true possibilty—or the one that made the most sense—was that Daniel had gained his powers in some way, and somewhere along the path of life he had fallen into the darkest parts of his mind and had given into his desires.

_"Sir."_

_Not now. I can't do this right now._

Seeming to pick up on his thoughts, the artificial intelligence continued on—droned, really—in a tone that was as bland as ever. _"Agent Coulson came by the tower today. SHIELD has seemed to have found out the reason behind your prolonged absence."_

Tony inhaled deeply and let out his breath slowly, watching the long dark hair draped over the boy's face flutter in the makeshift wind. When he spoke, it was in a whisper so quiet it was almost nonexistent. "Where are they now?"

Daniel moaned, tossing his head to the side and trembling visibly. The frozen clouds of his breath rippled and stretched out in the dark, cool air, sending another shudder down the older man's spine as he awaited the response of his computerized companion.

_"Currently nowhere. I have taken the liberty of masking you and Mr. Fenton's presence, but should the boy become agitated, my technological capabilities will be dramatically lessened."_

"I know. I'll keep an eye on him."

Seeming to react to the fact that he was being talked about, the young man shifted again and wrapped his arms tighter around his torso. Tony frowned as his gaze focused on the thick, dark scars riddling the pale skin, the unnatural length of his extremities and the way his skin seemed stretched tight over his bone and what remained of his muscle.

He couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to live how the boy did, looking over his shoulder every moment of the day and fearing the monsters that came from the very flesh and bone of his own mind.

With a sigh, the scientist shut his eyes and attempted to relax his body. He had to be somewhat rested for the upcoming dawn of the new day. That is, if he wanted—truly, absolutely wanted—to help the child currently asleep in his arms.

_"Sir, there is someone approaching the motel. From my scans, they are carrying a rather impressive arsenal of weapons."_

_Crap._ Stark glanced down at the raven-haired teenager, stamping down the urge to tremble in agitation. He couldn't move, not if he wanted to keep the boy asleep. While he had read about the horrific crimes Daniel had committed over the past few years, he had never seen them in action—that is, aside from the so-called cannibalism—and Tony had every intention of keeping it that way.

A knock on the door startled the scientist out of his exhaustion-riddled daydreaming. Sweat trickling down his skin, he pressed his lips together and kept his gaze locked onto the motel room door.

"Room service, please. I've come to change your towels and sheets."

Frowning deeply, Tony thought back to when he had first arrived. Yes, the secretary at the desk had practically ordered him to bring back a court-issued warrant, but the scientist had decided to come back after lights out to do a little surveillance. After a quick search through the computer databases, he had found the room Daniel had checked into and had quietly crept along the darkened, mothball-scented hallways.

He knew he had been lucky when he had found out that Daniel wasn't in his room.

But one thing Tony knew for sure—he had hung the _do not disturb_ sign on the door handle. Usually, room service looked out for those sort of things. So why was this employee blatantly disregarding their obvious invasion of privacy?

He tensed as the sound of the doorknob rattling echoed sharply throughout the room. Daniel continued on in his agitated slumber, seemingly ignorant of what was transpiring around him.

"Room service. I've come to change your sheets and towels."

_Sheets and towels?_

There was a flash of heat and light, and then the door was shattered into pieces. Stark's eyes widened as he moved to shield the boy from the flying pieces of splintering wood, groaning as his earlier wounds were aggravated by the sudden harsh motion.

"Found me out, huh? Guess I'm not the agent I'm all cracked up to be."

Standing in what remained of the doorway was none other than Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye. His face was set into a dark, grim expression but the corner of his lips were turned up into a twisted smirk as he took in the scene before him.

"Tamed the little monster, did you? That's too bad; I wanted that job."

Stark frowned deeply, turning his head to glare at the black-and-red clad man. "Why are you here, Clint?"

The man laughed, tilting his head to the side. "Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Don't tell me you're a jockey-for-hire again."

Barton's smirk morphed into a deeply-carved scowl as his gloved hands tightened on the material of his bow. "I'm far from a jockey, Stark."

Tony's body tensed and his eyes narrowed as the boy trembled beneath him. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" the archer murmured, narrowing his eyes to slits. "What I really want is a damn nap. But I'm otherwise preoccupied."

Moving almost too fast for the eye to see, Barton pulled an arrow from his quiver and aimed it at the two.

"I'm here to find out just what exactly that boy is. And once I do, I'm either gonna arrest that kid or paint the walls with his blood."

He grinned widely, an action that had the hairs on the back of Tony's neck standing on end.

"And you're in my way, Stark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be a little confusion with the timeline, so I'll clear that up. Tony went to the motel (by himself, when he bribed the secretary with the hundred-dollar bill) a week before he came back and had his encounter with Danny. Following that, he was in the motel room with Danny for about an entire day before Clint caught up with him and barged into the room.
> 
> Since Clint's a spy/assassin, it'd be safe to assume that he managed to track and find Tony without him noticing. That'll be explained next.
> 
> If you see any errors, feel free to point them out. I still tend to miss a few.
> 
> Thanks to all those who support this story!
> 
> Review, review, review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there!
> 
> I feel as if I can get my point across with chapters that are less than seven thousand words if that's alright with you guys (even though you're probably mad at the about the three-month wait). But this chapter was physically and emotionally painful to write in some parts, to be honest. (Carpal Tunnel in my dominant hand and some emotional issues, too).
> 
> Warnings: Schizophrenia/Mental Health Issues, Cannibalism, Extreme Gore, Masochism, Sadism, Torture, Graphic Descriptions of Illness, Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, Slight Necrophilia, Hallucinations/Delusions, Unreliable Narrator
> 
> Author Notes: Heed the warnings, as always. There's kind of a flashback in the middle of this (and at the end), but it's what Danny is dreaming about while he is unconscious during the time Tony and Clint confront each other. I actually rewatched "The Ultimate Enemy" from DP today, just so I could get a good refresher on Dan's personality in the show. It helped to write him better. Spoiler alert: there's a cliffhanger at the end, kind of. And the next chapter will fully detail the "fight" between Barton, Tony, and Danny.
> 
> But don't let that stop you from reviewing!

_Where the band never sleeps_

_And dead waltz through the streets_

_And I'm slowly falling..._

I swayed to the beat of an internal song, one I had involuntarily been introduced to many years ago. I had grown attached to it and it had never really gone away. Especially not now, when its beautiful, haunting words numbed my mind and body and left me in a comfortable, empty nothingness.

_There's a voice in my head_

_Whispering softly it says_

_Join me dance, dance, dance_

_Dance with the dead_

My worn, chapped and bleeding lips moved to form the words—the dark and demented, spine-chilling lyrics to the pounding melody tucked safely away in one of the darkest corners of my brain—and I felt a strange sense of euphoria overtake me. It had been so long since I had felt this way.

_Mmm...why don't you go faster?_

My breathing hitched, and my hands trembled at my sides. That wasn't supposed to be there. That was the wrong melody—wrong harmony, chords, notes, verses—

_You like this, don't you? Then go faster._

I shook my head, tangling my jittery hands in my thick, unkempt hair. Think, think, think—just get it out of your head—

_Whisper me a miracle_

_Or think of something logical_

_It's all too hard to deal..._

There it was. My melody, my notes, my chords, and harmony—they had come back. They hadn't abandoned me.

_And all the shunned and broken creatures...who shall love them but ourselves?_

Lies. All lies. The humans were manipulating me again.

_Listen to yourself. You are making no sense._

"I've never made sense." A growl tore from the back of my throat as my aura surged and the air temperature dropped significantly. "Never in my life have I made any sense." _Always the outcast, always the social pariah_ _—stepped on like an ant beneath an oppressing, bloodstained boot._

_Your soul will scream for mercy, and you will have none._

Why am I constantly plagued by these thoughts? Why can't they just leave me in silence, for just a moment, one silent, blissful moment?

_Just close your eyes and it'll all be over soon._

_It'll all be over soon._

Sure, it would.

_And if I die before I wake_

_I pray the Lord, my soul, to take_

_And if there's none oh well..._

I guess I could say that I no longer possessed a soul. Not after all the things I've done and the things I'm destined to do.

 _Me, my future_ _—I'm inevitable. And there's nothing you can do about it._

Nothing for now, at least.

_You're tired now, aren't you? Close your eyes, my dear boy, and get the rest you so wonderfully deserve._

I had nothing better to do than to follow his orders—although it was technically myself ordering me around—so I found myself drifting into a restless darkness once again.

* * *

_Uncontrollable. Dangerous. Do not approach._

_These were the words we saw plastered over every news channel, every television, every newspaper._

_All hovering in big, bold letters over my face._

_As the pale, bloated faces of my friends and family turned to stare at me in horror, a not entirely unwanted grin stretched over my cracked and bleeding lips._

_I was finally free—free from any retributions, from any setbacks or limitations, from any nagging and ordering me around. They knew what I was destined to be and now they could do nothing about it._

_Nothing could stop me now._

_"Danny?"_

_I flinched, turning to see two pairs of eyes—one a darkened violet and the other a deep brown—staring closely at me. Throughout my hidden fantasy, I had lowered the temperature of the air around us and frost had begun to coat my skin and our clothes._

_Shaking my head, I rose slowly to my feet and turned to head outside. I ignored their confused and concerned cries and sat at the base of an ancient tree, closing my eyes and resting my head against the rough, weather-beaten bark. The wind whistled eerily around me, and the weather seemed to alter itself in an attempt to adjust to my mood. Maybe those abilities I had temporarily gained from Vortex were not completely gone. They certainly would be helpful in the long run._

_"Danny, what are you doing?"_

_I twitched in the direction of the voice, forcing my hands to stop trembling. "Leave me alone."_

_"We're just trying to help."_

_A scoff escaped me before I realized what I had done. "Don't think to lie to me."_

_There was a shocked silence, and then a shadow passed over my muted field of vision as my offender stood directly in front of me and my source of light. "You know, you've been acting really strange lately. I don't know what's going on with you, but you promised us not to let this hero stuff go to your head."_

_"I'm not letting it get to my head. I have always been fine. I'm still here for you, aren't I?"_

_She was silent for a long moment, but I kept my eyes shut as I waited for her to move out of the sun's way. I was shivering again, something that hadn't happened for years. It caused a heavy lump of dread to settle in the bottom of my stomach. I didn't usually become warm like this_ _—like I was human._

_"Danny. Why are you sleeping?"_

_I flinched and cracked open an eye. She was back_ _—a rotted, bloated imitation of my former friend—swaying back and forth with the dull beat of my heart._

_"I thought I told you to leave me alone."_

_I knew I was shivering again_ _—violent, body-shaking tremors that left me disoriented and aching—and that I was no longer stable as I had originally convinced myself I was._

_"Danny. Wake up."_

_I didn't want to. This was one of the dreams I liked_ _—I wasn't in pain and I wasn't being tormented by my other half and I wasn't being manipulated in any way. There was no way I would want to wake up from this dream, even if the distended corpses of my family and friends were muttering around me._

_"It'll be alright. Everything will be alright. Just wake up, Danny. Wake up."_

_No. It was better here, broken away from the harsh reality of everyday life. I wouldn't have to face everyone like the monster I was. It was better here. It was better here._

_"Daniel, can you hear me?"_

_What? That wasn't any of their voices_ _—not Sam, not Tucker, not Jazz, not Mom or Dad or anyone I had eradicated all of those years ago—so who was it?_

The room was dark and cold, and I knew that my aura had affected the temperature and atmosphere of the room. My other half was growing restless, snarling and growling and pacing in the deepest corners of my mind.

I had to restrain a shudder as the scent of human flesh bombarded my senses. Through it all, however, I could vaguely discern the aroma of expensive aftershave and cologne, as well as the acrid presence of fear and agitation. It was the scientist, Tony Stark, the one who had tracked me all the way here from wherever he had come from. I was assuming it was far since he felt the need to fly here.

_He's here, and he will be able to help you stay in control._

"Daniel, I need you to help me. Both of our fates depend on this." His voice was a soft rumble that cut through the hazy silence shrouding my mind and body.

What? Help for what? I can't help—I only destroy everything I touch. _I can't help._

_You know you can smell the other human, little boy._

Yes, I could. There was another cocktail of aromas—of rich, sweat-stained leather, muddled spearmint, and waxed wood. I could smell their fear and agitation as well—just what had happened in the time I had been unconscious?

_Nothing good, Daniel. Now get your head out of the clouds and focus._

_"He'll kill us both, Stark!"_

Who was it, this other man? What did they want? I couldn't—my mind was too muddled. I couldn't think clearly; I couldn't figure out who was speaking to me—and threatening, in reality.

"Just listen to me. Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, is a government agent who's been sent to kill you or imprison you. I need your help to get rid of him."

Get rid of him? I can't kill anymore. I won't kill anymore!

_—who's been sent to kill you or imprison you?_

_Imprison you. Imprison you._

_Listen to yourself, child. Both of your fates rest on this decision. We both know deep inside that you're not as conflicted about getting rid of this little government rat._

"No! I can't kill him! I won't!"

_Fine. I'll make sure you don't. But he won't be getting out with his limbs intact._

"Okay, Daniel. Can you hear me? I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Focus for me, can you do that? Nod once for yes and shake your head for no."

I was trembling violently now, my breaths coming quicker with every passing moment. But maybe I could...maybe I could help the scientist. He seemed to know what was wrong with me, or he had some kind of guess at what was wrong. Maybe if I helped him it would make him accept me for something other than a monster that had broken his bones, had bruised his skin, had drawn his blood and had caused him to scream in that horrific voice—that delicious, spine-tingling, bone-chilling—

With an only slightly settling breath, I fixed bleary eyes on his exhaustion riddled face and nodded.

* * *

_"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality."_ _~Edgar Allen Poe_

* * *

Damaged people are dangerous. He knew that clearly and understood every moment of it.

He had been there once. Years ago, decades ago—whatever time it was, he just knew that he had been there before.

He also knew that once you entered the darkness—once you became a part of that bestial, boiling, and churning darkness—there was no escape from it. Never in the rest of an embittered lifetime. You just couldn't escape it. You ended up making what other people believed was hell your own special little home.

He was no stranger to that.

_He was hiding beneath the cool shelter of his blankets, his limbs shuddering wildly. His heart was pounding in his chest and it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe._

_From the darkness enveloping him, he felt a presence linger at his shoulder._

_"Ready or not, here I come."_

The child was shuddering beside him, frost glazing his skin as he rocked back and forth. He seemed to be sensitive to the tense atmosphere of the room, but he remained locked in the embrace of a restless unconsciousness.

_I am haunted by humans._

The man stood before him, a pillar of unrelenting strength and power. The moonlight illuminated the deep crimson and black of his clothing, casting a harsh and reflective glare on the material of his quiver and arrows. His bow was clenched tightly in one hand, and there was a faint sheen of sweat glistening on his skin.

"What are you going to do?"

_At dusk, death will come in the form of a man._

"You know, there's this saying I heard a while ago. Maybe you've heard it."

Tony was slowly rising to his feet, deathly aware of the archer's piercing gaze tracking his movements. He knew he only had one chance, and he knew that whatever he did would not be quiet enough to keep the monstrous boy behind him asleep. Daniel would wake very soon, and then all hell would break loose.

It was what he was counting on.

"Stark," Barton growled out, his voice deep and hoarse and strained with exhaustion. "I don't have time for your games."

"I know, I know. I'm just drawing this little reunion out, can't you see?" The scientist's fingers twitched, and then the gauntlet from his latest suit model appeared over his hand. He moved as quickly as he could, biting back a grimace as his still-healing wounds throbbed and protested, and aimed the small arc reactor in the palm of his hand at the former assassin.

"Have you ever heard the phrase: Glory and gore go hand in hand?"

Barton's icy blue eyes widened for a split second before pain laced through his arm and he felt the warmth of his blood and the acrid stench of burnt leather and flesh. The damn crazy man—he had always been one of the people who questioned Tony Stark's sanity—had managed to clip him on the arm with a shot from his gauntlet. With a growl, the blond man took an arrow from his quiver and hooked it into the nocking point. He knew that some of his arrows were strong enough to pierce through the other man's skin, but he was unconcerned with that at the moment. What he needed to do was incapacitate and capture the kid—he wasn't going to stay asleep for long.

As he pulled the bow string back towards his anchor point, he became aware of the temperature of the room dropping even lower than it already was. The child was becoming restless, and it was clear that he either beginning to gain consciousness or he was reacting to the agitated atmosphere that was stretched out between the two men. Barton growled and pressed his lips together; he didn't have much time and had to get the scientist out of the way.

"I knew you were the talker, Stark, but now you're just stalling."

Tony shrugged, something like a pained smirk curling back his lips. "I already told you what I was doing. Do you have a problem with that?"

"What I have a problem with is that kid behind you."

The scientist narrowed his eyes to slits and tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

Barton only shrugged and spread his feet apart further, resettling his weight and distributing it more evenly. "I was given an assignment. I intend to carry it out."

"I thought you despised the whole 'having the government breathing down your neck' thing." Tony resisted the urge to cross his arms and sent a scathing glare towards the agent instead. "Or was that entire speech nothing but a lie?"

"Nope. Not a lie." Clint shook his head and ran gloved fingers over his beloved bowstring. "The only reason I'm doing this is that of simple curiosity."

"You just want to find what makes him tick, don't you? You were dead set on either painting the walls with the kid's blood or arresting him moments ago."

Clint's mouth stretched into a dark, spine-chilling grin. "Maybe I've changed my mind."

"Oh, really? Aren't you just a little maid who's come to change the towels and sheets?"

Barton frowned and raised a brow. "Aren't you supposed to be a scientist with a knack for explosives?"

"Touche, Birdie." Tony tensed as a faint moan sounded behind him. Finally—he had almost been too late.

Barton's eyes flashed dangerously as he watched the goateed man before him. "Stark. What did you do?"

It was then that the scientist realized he was grinning widely, a grim declaration of his amusement and anticipation.

"I've done nothing. Not by myself, at least." He paused as a low whine came from the boy, followed by a deep growl. "I was just waiting for reinforcements, and you helped guarantee that."

"He'll kill us both, Tony!" the archer hissed, his hands protesting as the muscles began to cramp. He had been aiming his bow at the scientist for the past few minutes, and while his intensive training had allowed him to ignore the aches and pains, his irritation was making them worse than usual. The stakes were raised uncomfortably high and he knew he would have to act soon—whether it was on pure instinct or a planned offensive or defensive take.

"It's enough of a distraction, now, isn't it?"

Barton growled and moved his aim towards the now trembling young boy. He had only read about what he was capable of, and based on the reports, he knew that this Daniel had inhuman strength, durability, and endurance, among other things—supposedly all things that allowed his bestial desires to come to light.

His eyes widened as the scientist stood directly in his view of the boy. Tony was grinning widely, and Barton felt a chill race down his spine as he glared at the man.

The scientist kept his gaze fixed on the agent as he turned his head to address the semi-conscious boy. "Daniel, why don't you come and help me with this little bird?"

"You—" The agent's body coiled like an agitated serpent as he remained vigilant. "Stark, don't do this!"

Barton's eyes burned brightly as the scientist turned his head to stare at him, that strangely wide grin still stretched across his face. "It's too late now, isn't it? Maybe you shouldn't have come."

"I...I don't want to hurt anyone..."

The archer groaned as the scientist moved to crouch next to the boy, still keeping his body in front of the other man's view and aim. He was still trying to protect the little beast, after all of this?

Tony hushed the child, keeping a defensive yet somehow comforting arm above him. Barton watched with a certain type of infatuated interest; why wouldn't Stark physically touch the boy? "You don't have to hurt anyone. Not if you choose to."

Daniel moaned softly, arching his back and reaching out to grasp the scientist's arms. Clint flinched in sync with the goateed man, watching blood seep through the young raven-haired man's pale and skeletal fingers.

"You know I c-can't keep control fully." Dull blue eyes locked the scientist in a deadly stare. "I'll lose control and...and hurt you and then you'll all judge me again."

Barton watched as the scientist knelt down closer to the boy, keeping his movements slow and visible. It was almost as if he was trying to keep a feral, aggressive animal calm. And since no one knew exactly what Daniel was, comparing him to a wild beast was nothing if not acceptable and reasonable.

Tony was whispering something to the raven-haired young man, who was shuddering but making a visible attempt to listen to his supposed ally. His eyes were two wide saucers of icy blue, and Barton found himself interested in the maelstrom of emotions that were flickering back and forth across those large, haunted orbs. Clint had seen his fair share of dark, twisted, and plain messed-up things, but the pain—the agony, the suffering, the sheer defeat that was reflected in those eyes back at him—was almost too much to bear.

It was almost too much to bear.

When a flicker of motion appeared in his peripheral vision, he immediately pivoted on his heel towards the source of the motion. To his surprise, the young boy was standing there, his head bowed and face shadowed by his thick, unkempt hair. There was a vapor surrounding his body, and frost glazed the ground, the walls, and his own pale skin.

"You...wanted to hurt...my ally?"

The archer's frown deepened as he kept his eyes fixed on the target of his mission. He remained silent, opting to keep his attention focused on his prey's movements.

Daniel tilted his head to the side, his body beginning to sway. "Why won't you answer me? I asked you a question..."

Barton turned his head slightly to growl at the scientist. "Stark, you really want to do this? You really want to have SHIELD hunting you down to the ends of the earth?"

He knew the man was shrugging with that stupid smirk on his face. "It's not the first time, you know."

_"Answer my question!"_

Clint grunted as a sudden force was pushing him back, almost making him loosen his grip on his bow and arrow. The boy before him was trembling harder, his hands twitching violently at his sides and his eyes glowing brightly.

His teeth were bared, large and pointed and razor-sharp. The archer could hear the boy's heavy panting, and the notes at the bottom of his classified SHIELD report could not help but flash in his mind—

_There are hints of a large desire for human flesh, as well as the need—whether it is a physical hunger or an emotional desire—for blood. Approach the target with extreme caution._

—and he knew that those warnings were definitely coming into play.

The monster growled loudly, a thunderous and demented sound that was stained with a lustful hunger. His eyes were changing colors, flickering back and forth between that abysmal ice blue to a vicious, bloodthirsty crimson. Barton had also read a little about Tony's confrontation with the boy and knew that the sheer strength Daniel had without even physically touching him was only a taste of what had snapped Tony's bones and had broken his skin.

Stark seemed to notice something wrong and a cautious note crept into his voice. "Daniel..."

"He...he won't get past. Not with us h-here," the raven-haired boy hissed, his ravenous gaze still locked onto the archer. "We won't let him."

With a sudden growl, Barton was thrown across the room with the chilling laughter of the monstrous boy ringing in his ears. Slamming harshly into the molded wallpaper, the breath was knocked out of him as stars danced in his vision.

Blinking harshly, he groaned as he straightened into a defensive position.

"So we're finally playing, now, huh?"

He snatched up his bow and nocked in two more arrows, their bladed tips gleaming viciously in the dimly lit room. Tony was watching him from the shadows, and Daniel was panting harshly as he watched the agent's movements.

Barton smirked widely and aimed his bow at the two. "Come and get me."

* * *

"Gerard. Have you seen Daniel anywhere?"

The young man whirled on his heel, his eyes wide as his grip on the large broom he was holding faltered. He flinched as it fell to the floor with a clatter, facing his boss ashamedly. "No, sir, I haven't. But...the last time he was here, I think he became sick."

"Sick? What do you mean?"

"Well—" Gerard rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "When he was serving a young lady, he was pale and jittery. Then he rushed off to the employee bathroom and locked himself in. When I went to check on him, it sounded like he was throwing up or something, and he came out all sweaty and unsteady."

The older man glared at his subordinate. "And you didn't think to come get me or anything?"

Gerard shrugged morosely, leaning down to pick up the broom. "I didn't think I had to. Daniel left after his episode or whatever. I thought he had checked out with you."

His boss sighed and rolled his eyes at the ungainly boy. "Just get back to work. I'll try to clear this up this mess with Daniel when I see him next."

Gerard gave a hesitant smile and wave as he watched the man shamble off to his office. "Sorry I couldn't be any help, boss."

* * *

_"I keep so much pain inside myself. I grasp my anger and loneliness and hold it in my chest. It has changed me into something I never meant to be. It has transformed me into a person I do not recognize; but I don't know how to let it go." ~S.J.B._

* * *

_The darkness of the room was omniscient, looming over everything in its touch as its companion_ _—the bone-chilling, breath catching coldness—stretched its talons over the things well within its reach. The aroma of blood, sterilized metal, damp earth, and bodily fluids permeated the air with a brutal efficiency._

_"You're special," he murmured, tucking a lock of raven hair behind the young man's ear. "I get why we chose you."_

_Two bright crimson eyes glared up at him out of a pale, exhaustion-riddled face. "Like I care."_

_"That tongue of yours is something else, isn't it?" the man continued on in a gravelly rumble, his gloved hands still running through the bound monster's hair. "Maybe I should cut it out. Would that be okay with you?"_

_A deep growl rumbled in the back of the ghost's throat, escalating into a furious snarl as his captor jerked his head back._

_"I thought I asked you a question, little rat."_

_The monster bared his teeth and spat a mouthful of green-stained crimson blood in the man's face. "I don't care."_

_His tormentor straightened, taking a handkerchief and wiping the fluid off of his cheek. He frowned and shook his head as he looked at the now-soiled piece of cloth. "We can't have that, now, can we?"_

_The bound creature already knew what was going to happen. It happened every day, almost to the point where he was starting to convince himself that he was omniscient. First, he would leave me in a dark and soundproof room_ _—it was meant to deprive me of any of sense of time, my own enhanced senses, and any chance of survival, as he put it._

_He liked to manipulate my senses, ranging from the ever-popular leaky pipe dripping pungent, stale water onto my forehead to other things such as burning my feet with a blue-flame blowtorch. He seemed to like the smell of my burning, inhuman flesh._

Watery, ice-blue eyes flashed across my range of vision and a dark, bloodcurdling cry made my ears ring—

"Daniel, calm down!"

"Leave me alone!"

 _He also liked to see how long I could last if he slowly shaved away layers of my skin, mainly on my arms and hands. They were the parts that would have the most trouble regenerating_ _—at least, that was what_ _he thought_ _—a_ _nd believed that it would prevent me from lashing out at him._

_If that was the case, then he should have ripped out my teeth, eyes, and tongue. I certainly had no qualms about biting my way out of captivity._

"Daniel! Enough!"

An ear-piercing cry tore through my bloodstained haze—I was anxious and on edge. Something was going wrong. I was losing control again—losing control, losing control, losing control—

I flinched as two strong but gentle hands were placed on my arms. One of them was encased in warm metal, and the other was simply a hand—warm and worn flesh that was a comfort against my own icy skin. I bared my teeth as the warmth began to counteract my cold—I wanted to feel normal, my normal, not too warm or not too cold.

The scientist was there, looming over me, and it was then that I tasted the rotten iron on my tongue. I had bitten something during my daydream-like haze, and I could feel the warmth of human blood on me.

_You still don't have that much control over yourself, my boy. But, rest assured, we killed no one._

Tony Stark was staring at me intently, and his mouth was moving. He was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear it over the roar and rush of my blood in my ears. I couldn't even read his lips; my vision was fading in and out. Just what had I done?

"Daniel...it's okay. It will be okay." There, I could hear him now. I just had to focus on controlling my senses and keeping them—and myself—in line.

"What did...I do...?"

The inventor seemed pleased at hearing my broken rasp of a voice and something like a relieved smile pulled back his lips. "Good. You can hear me. Just focus on me."

I frowned, and the strange feeling of floating in a murky soup overcame me. I let out a shaky breath and felt my knees give out before I could give either of us a warning.

Tony grunted as he held up my body, keeping me close to his chest. Why wouldn't he let go of me?

"Hey. Daniel. Stay with me." Two deep chocolate eyes were boring into my own. "Do you remember anything that I told you?"

"You..." I grimaced and swallowed in an attempt to dampen my dangerously dry mouth. The taste of rotten iron was still there, as well as the scent of human blood. Had I—?

"You helped me take down the bad guy, remember?"

I moaned and shook my head, the rank and putrid, invisible water tightened its grasp on me. I tried to move my hands, but I was strangely motionless. What was going on?

"The bad guy?" I narrowed my eyes at the man, my tongue dry and swollen in my mouth. "I'm...I'm the bad guy. I've done bad things to—to a lot of people."

Tony sighed and shook his head sharply. "Not to this one. If anything, he deserved it."

A wave of heat overcame me, and the waves pressed harder against my skin. "What?"

"I won't press if you if you can't remember. Just calm down and relax, okay?"

 _Just...calm down._ I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, albeit unsteadily. The man made a noise of encouragement and pressed me tighter to his broad chest.

"Good. Now, come with me."

I tensed and shook my head, pushing away from him. I didn't want to go; I wanted to stay in the comfort of this dank, rancid motel room. It was a disgusting place that could accept me for the monster I was.

"What? Don't you want some real food?"

_Human food?_

_Humans?_

My stomach growled.

Tony smiled widely and placed a heavy hand on my shoulders, easing up on his strength when he saw and felt my flinch. "Attaboy. Now let's go. There are some good places a bit from here, or we can eat in silence with that processed gas station food and think about life. Your choice."

I found an inkling of warmth was beginning to ease its way into my damaged soul.

It wasn't entirely unwanted.

Pushing back the snarling beast that lingered in my thoughts, I shut my eyes and let the man lead me out of the room and into the devastating world outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. It was originally planned to be posted on my birthday, but things were hectic and I still was overcoming major writer's block with the direction of where this story was going.
> 
> However, multiple songs helped spark my creativity with this. The first is "Confrontation" from Jekyll & Hyde (based on a Danny Phantom/Dark Danny video I found on YouTube), followed by "Torture," "Louder Than Words," and "String Theory," all by Les Friction (amazing band and you all should listen to them!)
> 
> If it's any consolation, Chapter Seven is being written right now, but like last year, marching band and AP summer work will impair my productivity with updating. Please continue to bear with me and support this story!
> 
> Also, I know I've updated other stories during my absence with this one, but my lighthearted Fairy Tail stories are easier to spit out than this dark, twisted mess (and I mean that in the loving way all authors mention their stories).
> 
> Don't be afraid to review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It...has been a long time. Senior year of high school was not entirely fun, to say the least. But like I mentioned in the last chapter, this chapter goes in-depth into the fight between Barton, Tony, and Daniel. There aren't any flashbacks for sure, and Daniel's POV lasts way longer than it should. Please accept my sincerest apologies for my supposed abandonment of this story. Please continue to support it and give reviews.
> 
> Warnings: Schizophrenia, Extreme Gore, Masochism, Sadism, Torture, Graphic Descriptions of Illness, Graphic Descriptions of Corpses, Slight Necrophilia, Hallucinations/Delusions, Unreliable Narrator, Twisted Morals/Sense of Right and Wrong
> 
> Author Notes: Heed the warnings, as always. There's definitely some moral issues and unreliable narrator in here. There's also a little surprise with Tony, too. A bit more character development...he's finally showing his true colors.

_The human mind is truly the scariest thing of all._

Tony crouched over the trembling, snarling boy, being careful to keep as much distance as he could between Daniel's teeth and his skin.

"Daniel, why don't you come and help me with this little bird?"

_My heart was pounding, a dull and aching thud trapped in the cage of my chest. My legs felt like they were suspended in some gelatinous fluid, and my breath was shallow and hoarse. I could pass out any minute, any second._

With a groan, the child turned his head to fix a piercing stare on the older man. Tony had to restrain a shudder—while Daniel's eyes were still their normal ice blue, there was such a dark emptiness in his gaze that couldn't help but make the scientist be on edge.

The boy had innocent little demons in his eyes, and they recklessly played with matches.

_I've never seen sparks so pretty. Have you?_

_You fool. Haven't you noticed? I've become the demon I feared so long ago._

The scientist watched as the raven-haired male coughed violently, bending over to bring up strange green-flecked crimson fluid. Aside from the bizarre coloring, it looked like normal human blood. Maybe analyzing it further would—

_Stay on track, Tony. You need to handle the situation in front of you._

Right. There was an angry, bleeding, and armed—well, kind of—government agent who had an extremely fierce revenge streak. He needed all the help he could get taking him down, especially with a bruised and not fully functioning body that was drowned—ever so slightly—in the effects of the malt scotch he favored close to his chest so dearly.

Daniel moaned again, but it was followed by a deep growl. Stark was hoping it was just irritation at being woken up and not the growl that preceded the presence of the bloodthirsty, supposedly flesh-eating beast. He was still glaring at the scientist before him, and Tony made himself believe that the look meant something else.

"Daniel. Can you hear me?"

The boy bared his teeth and looked away, taking in the contents of the room that Tony wasn't blocking from his view with an air of haziness. He seemed to have forgotten where he was, but that was the least of the scientist's worries.

"Hey. Daniel." Tony snapped his fingers, remaining headstrong even as that disturbing glare was fixed back on him. "I need your help, okay?"

Lips twitching into a frown, the boy looked genuinely confused as he peered at the scientist's face. Tony noticed the dark-haired male's eyes were glazed over and a faint sheen of perspiration had appeared on his skin.

"Look at me, Daniel. Can you hear me? Look at me and focus." Tony knew he didn't have much time, but what he did know was that Barton had the curiosity of a toddler. He loved getting into things that didn't concern him and loved to snoop in other people's belongings—no matter if they were personal or not. That realization alone bought Stark just a bit more time until his hard-wired assassin codes of conduct kicked in.

Tony grimaced and dared to shift his weight, keeping his hands in front of him when the boy gave a disturbed and frightened snarl. "Easy. I just need you to help me, alright? We have to get Barton out of the way before he hurts you."

"Hurts...me...?" Daniel coughed harshly and his shoulders trembled in a broken laugh. "Can't hurt me. I'll hurt him."

"No killing, okay?" When the boy didn't respond, the scientist moved a bit closer and stared pointedly at him. "Daniel, are you listening? No killing unless you want to make this situation worse."

_The fire was eating him alive._

"I...I don't want to hurt anyone." Daniel was trembling even harder now, his eyes narrowed to slits and his teeth digging into his bottom lip. That strangely-colored blood began to stain his skin, and his breathing was harsh and heavy. His lips moved to form unintelligible, murmured words that had Tony wondering who the child thought he was talking to.

With a sigh, Stark moved his body to block the archer's view of the boy. "You don't have to hurt anyone. Not if you choose to."

Moving without warning, Daniel's body lurched forward and his hands were digging into the goateed man's arms. His exposed talons sunk deep into the scientist's flesh, drawing blood and making the man grimace in pain.

A chill went down Tony's spine as those two endless ice-blue eyes bored into his own. He listened as the boy muttered words to him, his breath catching in the back of his throat as the threat went unspoken.

Tony felt more than heard the breath Barton sucked in when Daniel cried out and doubled over once more, the tremors that had disappeared for a mere moment returning, as violent as they had been before. The temperature of the room dropped beyond skin-numbing levels, and both Tony and Clint were both shivering harshly.

"Daniel, I know you can fight this, or him, or whatever it is that's been hurting you," Stark murmured, leaning close to the boy—enough that the incensed agent behind them could not hear a word. "You can and you will. Both of our lives depend on it."

A low growl escaped the raven-haired man's throat as he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, his lip curling back to expose razor-sharp teeth. "I'm not alive, you stupid scientist. I haven't been for...a long time." He twitched and glanced away, rocking back and forth and mouthing unheard words once more.

"Stay focused, Daniel!" Tony hissed, forcing the boy to meet his gaze once again. "If you want to stop running for your life everywhere you go, then you will help me—no, help  _both_  of us—and get rid of the government agent who's been sent to kill you. Understand?" When Daniel snarled and bared his teeth, Stark narrowed his eyes and dropped his voice to a low rumble. "Do you understand me?"

Something menacing shone in the raven's eyes as his lips curled back into a gruesome smile and he nodded. "I understand completely." The grin developed a maniacal, feral edge to it as Daniel vanished from view and appeared near the archer.

It was at that time that Tony realized innocence was gone, and what was right was now wrong. There was more than blood that flowed through that boy's veins, and his poisonous influence would soon spread to infect everything around him.

He just hoped he was strong enough to stop it from corrupting him.

* * *

My vision was stained with darkness, and crimson lapped at the edges of my peripheral view.

I felt strange. Empty, but whole. Satisfied, but yearning. It was like there was some strange warmth nipping at my skin, enough to make itself noticeable but not enough to make me uncomfortable or irritated.

Just what exactly was this feeling?

_Focus, my boy. Your so-called comrade has asked for our help._

Help with what? It was so calm here, so comfortable. I didn't want to move. I wanted to stay right where I was. I was trapped in a beautiful nothingness that enveloped me in an everlasting, unrelenting grasp.

_Do you want to kill this man? To be stained with the blood and immaterial viscera of yet another human?_

What?

_Then pay attention!_

My eyes fluttered, and then I realized that I was standing half bent over, my chest heaving with harsh breaths and something warm trickling down the side of my face. The warm wetness reached the corner of my mouth, and against my better judgment I stuck out my tongue to taste it.

A rush of pure, feral desire overcame me, and I groaned and swayed on my feet. What  _was_ that? It tasted so good...

_You really have no common sense, do you? You know what you just tasted. And you want more, don't you?_

_No, I_ _—_

"Eyes on me, ice-boy!"

My senses screamed at me and I moved to the side to narrowly avoid an arrow that, in missing its target, collided with the wall. I watched with a curious and suspicious eye before as the arrowhead unfolded and stretched out in some strange mechanical device, and an ear-piercing screech filled the room. Almost immediately I was sent reeling, my eyes watering at the vicious and unrelenting sound as pain tore through my head.

"Your hearing is hypersensitive, huh?" Through my bleary gaze, I could see two black and red boots making their way towards me, and something in the back of my mind told me to get up and  _fight._ "I wonder if your other senses are just as vulnerable." I could feel his lecherous grin more than I could see it, and my body began to tremble. "I suppose I'll have to investigate the rest of them."

I snarled and bared my lengthening teeth, arching my back and digging my extended nails into the rank carpet beneath me. It dawned on me suddenly that we were still in the hotel room that I had checked into all those days ago, and that I was fighting someone who definitely wanted me dead—or, at least, more dead than I already was.

_It could have taken you any longer to figure it out. You really are as dimwitted as people say you are, aren't you?_

My hands twitched and I could feel the grimy carpet beginning to shred and buckle beneath my strength.  _Shut up so we can take this idiot down._

_You don't want my power._

_I do, but I do not want to kill this man. I have no qualms about physically hurting him, though._

_Fine. But you'd better not be moping later on._

An aching pang tore through my stomach, and I was rocking back and forth as a moan escaped my mouth. This hunger—this pure need—it was all too familiar.

Behind me, I could feel the scientist's eyes boring into my back. He could watch and gripe and moan and whine, for all I cared. I had to deal with this before it escalated into something much worse.

_Deal with it permanently. You know you want to._

My aura pulsed and writhed around my body, and I felt a small twinge of relief as my own characteristic coldness began to numb my skin. Good. That meant I wouldn't be affected by the filthy human warmth. Filthy, disgusting human war—

_—wait, I didn't—_

I gasped and wrapped my arms around my torso, my breathing hoarse and heavy. The world blurred around me and I struggled to remain aware of my surroundings even as I began to mutter words to calm down the voices, who were screaming and growling and snarling by now.

"Aw, is the little monster not feeling well?"

The voices in the back of my mind growled and bared their teeth as a heavy, steel-toed boot collided with my side. The force of the kick was stronger than anticipated and I was sent reeling, the rasp in my breathing becoming more pronounced.

"Daniel!"

The agent turned his head slightly to glare at the scientist, fury warping his features into some grotesque, horrific mask. "Stay out of this! It's all your fault! Everything that's happened today is all your and that monster's fault!"

_He keeps calling us a monster, boy. How about we do something to show him just how much of an understatement that is?_

_No! I can't! I kept a promise!_

_As long as it isn't directly our fault, if the so-called 'bird' dies after we've dealt him physical harm, then it'll all be okay._

"You think I'm a monster?" I was as shocked as the other men to hear my voice as I pushed myself up on my feet. My body swayed, and I forced my breathing to calm down. I felt my lips stretch into a wide, maniacal grin as I fixed my cold stare on the government agent. "Maybe I should give you an idea of what a real monster is."

Tony shifted uneasily behind me and made to say something, but with a wave of my hand, I encased his feet in a thick layer of ice. I turned my head slightly to watch his reaction and was shocked to see that he was far from angry or even incensed. In fact, he looked almost...relieved.

Shaking my head with a harsh sigh, I turned back to the archer. He was watching me with icy, calculating eyes, his hands still in their respective positions on his bow and the arrow he had nocked into it. Something dark and wet was staining the rich leather covering one of his arms, and I felt a wave of longing wash over me as its sweet, metallic scent wafted towards me. It was that—his blood. The taste I needed, the taste I just had to have.

Dimly, I realized that I had hunched over, deep and rumbling snarls echoing in the back of my throat. I could feel my teeth digging into the flesh of my lower lip, and the spoiled iron taste flooded my mouth. I hissed in irritation, shaking my head violently. I didn't want that taste—what I wanted was the blood of my enemy, and I would have it eventually.

The agent's cold eyes never left me even as I appeared behind him. He was trained well enough; he had somehow anticipated my movements and guessed where I would end up next.

With a growl, I reached out and sunk my hand deep into the hard, muscled flesh of his torso, filling his overly-warm body with my own coldness. He hissed in a breath and spun on his heel, gritting his teeth at the numbing pain that resulted from my own attack. Tightening his grip on his bow, he whipped out his arm and slammed the heaviest part of the weapon into my head. Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head to the side to avoid the majority of the damage, but there was still a tingling ache in my skin where the bow had connected.

Crimson lights lapped at the edges of my vision, and I began to pant heavily.

_Destroy him. You know you want to. You want to taste his blood and feast on his flesh like the beast you are, don't you?_

_Shut up and let me think._

_You can't. Not while I'm here. I thought you knew that._

The hairs on the back of my neck rising, I ducked as a sharply curved blade shot past me. He honestly thought knives would work on me?

_They do, but they won't inflict as much harm as it would on a human._

_I know that. He doesn't._

_Wasn't he going to hurt Stark over there? Why aren't you doing anything about that?_

"Stark's not here," I muttered, watching the archer with glazed eyes. "Stark isn't here. It's just me and him." But deep in the back of my mind, I knew there was someone watching the altercation between myself and the government archer. I just didn't feel the need to acknowledge their presence right now.

The icy-eyed man shifted his weight suddenly, and that heavenly smell wafted towards me once more. A deep groan escaped my mouth as I swayed on my feet, feeling a wave of heat wash over me. My arms wrapped tightly around my torso and my fingers dug deeply into my skin.

"What's wrong with the little monster? Did something give you a tummy ache?"

_You and I both know that this human is beyond irritating. I suggest taking him out, as you have failed to do so during these past moments._

Outwardly, I was baring my teeth as I glared at nothing, hissing ill-intended words at the voices teasing me—urging me to eradicate both of the stupid humans who were laid out so perfectly before me like pigs trussed up on a fruit and vegetable-laden platter.

Only this time, you know, the fruits and vegetables would be their organs—flesh and muscle and all of the other delectable stuff—

_Go on. You know you want to. Swallow them whole and become the darkness that threatens to consume your very being._

"Daniel!"

"Shut up!" I turned my head to glare at the man, baring my teeth with my metaphorical hackles raised. He couldn't interfere with my plans. Not after all of this.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes on me?"

With a snarl, I leaned to the side to avoid another arrow, encasing the weapon in unbreakable ice with a wave of my hand. Even if it was another one of those infuriatingly painful sonic arrows, the sound wouldn't be able to break through the dark shelter of my own abilities. At least, not yet.

Barton was watching me through dark eyes, his lips pressed into a thin, almost invisible white line. Sweat glazed his skin—scarred in some places like my own; he probably called them battle trophies if his recent mannerisms were any slight indication—and the salty tang of the natural liquid mixed with the scent of the blood that had me reeling on my feet.

"Can't muster up an attack? What's wrong?" He was leering at me now, his lip curled in a disgusting sneer and his eyes crinkled into slits. "I thought Tony was your friend. Why aren't you—?"

 _"Shut up!"_ My aura lashed out, and then the man was pinned to the wall behind him. I could feel invisible hands clawing at both of our skins, and it only made the monstrous rage in my body swell and roar. Pain lanced through my skull and then I was crying out, cradling my head in my hands.

_Destroy him destroy him destroy him_

Stumbling on my feet, I growled and my invisible hold on the government lackey tightened. His eyes widened and he groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Monster," he growled, glaring at me through ice-cold eyes. "You're only—only proving everyone right if you k-kill me."

"Barton," Tony rumbled behind me, a wary and hesitant note creeping into his voice. "Don't do this. He won't be responsible for what happens to you."

"Are you blind, Stark?" The archer choked out, his eyes burning dangerously. "Don't tell me you'll take the blame. Another life destroyed because you couldn't keep your greedy little hands to yourself, is that right?"

I could all but taste the scientist's rage at those words, and then something strange and calming passed through me. I had my purpose now. I had to destroy the man who had made my friend angry.

A violent maelstrom of emotions ran through me—rage, despair, confusion—and my head throbbed as my aura wavered on a thin line.

The government pet made to say something, but then I cut him off. Soon, he wouldn't have anything to speak with.

"You wanted...to hurt...my ally?" My voice was dark and broken, a mangled whisper that burned its way up my throat. Tony's shock was a bitter taste in the back of my mouth, stained with the slightest hint of confusion.

Something strange flashed in the archer's stare and then he was surging forward, veins and tendons standing out vividly on his skin. His eyes were wide and bright as I felt the invisible hands lessen their grip slightly. Was this human really trying to break free?

"Hey. Answer me." I felt a comforting chill creep down my spine as I watched his vaguely frantic movements. "Were you trying to hurt my friend?"

"Let me go and maybe I'll tell you." He still had that infuriating leer on his face, and blood stained his damp lips.

I bared my teeth and narrowed my eyes, shivering as the hidden fingertips trailed over the nape of my neck. "I don't think so. I think you'll tell me right now." Almost involuntarily, I reached out my aura and the hands regained their formerly strong hold on the man. He groaned and gritted his teeth as the telltale creak of soon-to-break bones filled the air. A rush of ecstatic glee forced a moan out of my throat and the temperature of the room dropped to comfortable, numbing heights.

"Daniel, whatever you're doing, do it fast." Tony took a few steps toward me, caution clear in his voice and stance. "I think Fury's sent reinforcements."

_Reinforcements? When had he—?_

_He pressed something on his belt when you were busy playing whack-a-mole between him and the wall._

_And you couldn't bother telling me that before?_

_You looked like you were having fun._

With a groan, I tightened the invisible hands and grinned at the crack that sounded. Barton's eyes widened and he let out a shallow gasp, no doubt feeling his ribs break with my actions.

_Go on and have a bit more fun, why don't you? It won't hurt him that much._

Snarling deep in the back of my throat, I slashed my hand through the air and groaned as an arc of bright crimson fluid splashed through the air. My senses screamed at me as that beautiful scent wafted towards me. I was moving forward before I know it, intent on taking in as much of that delicious aroma as I could.

I was stopped by a warm, work-hardened hand on my arm, the scent of expensive aftershave and sweat-slicked skin clear and obtrusive in my nose.

"Let me go. Let me  _go."_ I didn't even bother to look at the scientist as I kept my eyes locked on that lovely crimson fluid. "You don't understand. I...I need to have him. I have to. It'll—it'll taste so good. It'll be so good."

Tony's fingers dug into my arm and I hissed at the sudden discomfort. He was in my way—he was blocking me from my desire, my sudden impulse to devour and leave no trace behind.

_Destroy it all. Show them what true suffering looks like._

I gasped heavily, my knees buckling as I swayed on my feet. The smell of the man's blood and the looming stench of his no doubt imminent death hung in the hair like a delightfully sickening perfume. Barton was glaring at me, fire in his eyes and ice in his veins.

_He's a star burning with the light of a thousand suns._

"Daniel?"

I moaned, shaking my head and tangling my fingers in my hair. Everything was conflicting and crashing into each other—there were too many scents, too many colors, too many sounds and physical feelings.

A hoarse, gargling laugh tore from my throat and I groaned as my legs trembled. My skin was comfortably numb, and I could barely feel the scientist's fingers digging even deeper into my skin.

"Daniel!" Tony steadied my body as I collapsed, my breath hoarse and painful in the back of my throat. Dimly, I realized that Barton was trying to break free again, even if it was only to stop the flow of blood from the gash on his chest. I could smell his acrid hatred and the same curiosity he had shown during his discussion with the scientist.

"It's all your fault, Stark. This is all your fault," Barton hissed, baring his teeth in a pained but degradingly satisfactory smirk. "If I die, then you'll be to blame, and SHIELD will hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as Tony shifted above me, a rumbling sound traveling through his body and into mine. Just what was he—?

Barton's eyes were wide with rage as he stared at the scientist. "You're really, truly insane. You are  _insane_ , Stark." He scoffed and coughed up a little more blood as he rolled his eyes and bared his teeth in a viciously derogatory grin. "I mean...I always knew something was off with you. But to side with a murderer, of all things..."

The strange air around the scientist darkened and I shuddered as that eerie laugh sounded again. "What, you thought I'd side with you over a child? You, nothing but a government lackey with a knack for shooting things from the sidelines?"

"Fury's going to kill you," the archer hissed, groaning with the effort of his attempted escape. "And then Natasha will resurrect you and kill you again."

"I don't see them anywhere. Do you?" I risked a glance at the scientist and saw that his eyes were wide and dark. "Your reinforcements are probably not going to get here before you pass out."

Barton growled and glared at the man. "Oh, I'm fine, Stark. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay awake long enough to see your sorry tail handcuffed and dragged to SHIELD's prison."

"Yeah, that won't happen." There was a high-pitched whirring sound and I caught the stench of expensive metal and a strange and powerful energy. "You see, I can't have the little birdie chirping back to the boss man."

_Little birdie won't have a beak to chirp with anymore._

I flinched as a loud mechanical whir sounded close to my ear and a sudden onslaught of unnatural heat washed over me. Tony muttered something under his breath and shifted, shaking his head as the distinct aroma of smoke and burned metal wafted through the air.

"Technical difficulties, Stark? You're not the genius you're cracked up to be."

A low growl rang in my throat as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I flinched as the scientist placed his non-weaponized hand on the nape of my neck, his fingers ghosting over the scars on my skin and sending a wave of reassurance through me.

"Don't believe everything you see." I knew that Tony was grinning again without me having to look at him. Barton's scowl was grotesquely pronounced as he pushed against the force holding him down, causing more blood to gush from his wounds.

Stark cursed—a stream of vile, almost unintelligible words—and drew in a sharp breath, just as the acrid scent of burned flesh reached me. I curled in on myself as the scientist's hand tightened on my neck, sending a wave of anxiety washing over me. He was telling me to duck down and be quiet—to stay out of the way.

The mechanical whirring that had sounded earlier suddenly reappeared with full force, making me clench my teeth so hard my gums began to throb. Tony growled out something above me, but I couldn't tell if it was directed at me or at the government agent pinned to the wall.

A flash of bright, blue-tinged white light filled the room and the mechanical whirring grew to a piercing roar. I could feel the buildup of power coming from whatever contraption the scientist had.

"Stark—" Barton hissed, the veins on his neck and arms standing out vividly against his skin. "Stark, you don't want to do this. You know that's not—"

Tony laughed, making me wince and clench my eyes shut. "I don't see where your opinion ties into this. You're nothing but a government lapdog. Why should I listen to the reiterated words of your master?"

 _There's something off about him, boy,_ the beast growled in the back of my mind.  _I know it's hard to focus but ke_ _ep your guard up._

 _I can't. You know that. I_ _can't_ _—you know I can't._  My body began to tremble and I found it hard to breathe.  _I can't, I can't, I can't_ _—it hurts too much._

A chill raced down my spine as I caught the faint but distinct sound of a crow's cry outside of the hotel window. If I narrowed my eyes the right way, I could see the outline of four birds standing on a sagging power line, all preening their feathers as if there was nothing wrong with the deranged world around them.

How I longed for that degree of ignorance.

_Daniel, you need to focus. Pay attention and watch what's happening._

I forced my watery stare away from the birds and back onto the confrontation between Tony and the archer. Somehow, even with all of the distractions that had happened, I had managed to keep the force pinning the agent to the wall intact. That, or  _he_ had.

"Stark, I'm gonna keep telling...telling you this until you listen." Barton was visibly struggling to speak as blood dripped from his chin. "You can—you can stop this. Fury...there'll be a lighter punishment." He choked out a laugh and shook his head slightly. "Ah...but Tasha will still...kill you."

_Kill?_

_No, no, no, no, no. He can't die. He's the only one._

Tony laughed again—that strange, eerie laugh that rumbled through both of our bodies—and it was then that I noticed he had a bizarre metal glove on. When I turned to face it, the scent of burned flesh from before hit me with such a ferocity that I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my throat. The scientist twitched faintly in my direction, but the majority of his attention was focused on Barton.

"Sorry, bow boy, but I'm not budging on this. Daniel comes with me."

He grinned widely and bared bloodstained teeth. "Really? Nothing...will change your mind, huh?" Barton threw his head back, hard enough to crack his skull against the musty, faded wallpaper. "What kind of...what do you want in return?"

The fingers of Tony's uncovered hand twitched, and the gears of the mechanical contraption on his other hand whirred and groaned as he clenched it into a fist. He was silent as he turned to face me, kneeling slowly in front of me.

"Daniel. Remember what I said about helping me with the little birdie?"

I shuddered as the beast snarled in the back of my mind—claws made of darkness and pain and suffering were tearing into my stream of consciousness—but I forced myself to nod. "We have to...we have to clip the...the birdie's wings."

I could vaguely tell that the scientist was smiling as he nodded. My vision blurred and I had the dim feeling that I was being suddenly shoved underwater.

"Good. Now listen to me very carefully. I need you to let the birdie go."

_The human must have lost his mind._

_No. We have to take care of the birdie. I can't take care of him if I can't touch him._

_Silly boy. You don't need to touch him. You know that._

_But I want to touch him. I want to feel his blood and hear his screams and taste his fear._

"Daniel?"

_Do you really? Are you hungry again? Are you going to taunt yourself with promises of flesh and blood that hang by threads built on meaningless promises?_

"I'm...I'm okay. Let him...go? Let the...birdie...go?" A violent pang tore through my stomach and I cried out, rocking back and forth in my seat as I fought to stamp down the urge to  _destroy._

_destroy them all and bathe in their remains while the world crumbles around us_

"Yes. Let the birdie go. I'll take care of the rest, okay?"

Distantly, there was the sound of a powerful set of engines, grumbling and roaring through the sky as the mechanical monster—or monsters, maybe there was more than one of them—came closer and closer.

_Stupid human._

_He's trying to trick you. All of the humans are._

"O-Okay. Let the...birdie go."

* * *

Fire.

It tastes like ancient wood and the hymns of lost saints. It tastes like birth and heart-blood and the bright gold lights of those cherished beginnings. When you close your eyes, the stars know what it means to suddenly become, and you are a dreamer so hot the looming forest trees ache with just a glimpse of you.  _Go on,_ the dancing honeysuckles urge you as you frolic and stumble through the bark behemoths.  _Go on and let go. You are still so young and wild._

Light.

A boy in ripped jeans sitting by the river with the acrid taste of copper in his mouth. He thinks  _I will always be afraid._ But marigolds grow along the bark, orange as new stars. And there is no greater truth than the truth that he will grow to be just as achingly bright and destructive too.

He was the bringer of his own catastrophe.

_He'd been quiet for far too long; blood was dripping down his chin from him biting his tongue to keep the words of what he should have said all those years ago at bay._

He had to tear himself apart to let them go.

A wise decision. A stupid decision. He had yet to figure it out.

_Damaged people are dangerous. Do you know why? It's because they've learned to make hell feel like home._

Home. Hell. They both meant the same thing to him. They were interchangeable words—the only difference was that one had just a little bit more light in it. Something that hinted at a false hope dangling on a thread of lies and empty promises.

_Be still, Daniel. This will all be over soon._

He sighed and tore a handful of grass from the damp, bloodstained riverbank. "More empty words, huh? Don't you ever get tired of it?"

_Be still and close your eyes._

"They're already closed."

_Stillness is coming. The doe-eyed stillness that blinks and awakens those who slumber in darkness. Stillness is coming. Stillness is coming._

_Breathe. You know what you want._

We want nothing but death and decay and destruction.

No. I want nothing but— _nothing but_ _silence, black forests, and cold winds to coddle me when I grow weary._

_Sleep, Daniel. The bad things won't come for you here._

"If you say so."

* * *

Tony watched as the boy sat awkwardly on the dingy carpeted floor, his legs folding in on themselves as if they weren't used to the idea of bearing the weight of the unforgiving world that rested upon his shoulders. Daniel was panting heavily, frost glazing the skin of his neck and lower jaw. The temperature of the room was fluctuating back and forth between something considered normal and the bleak iciness that was reminiscent of the horrors Daniel had seen.

"Stark—"

Both the boy and the archer flinched almost simultaneously as the scientist fired a warning shot dangerously close to the man's head. Barton's eyelids were drooping as he breathed heavily, fighting off the unwavering hand of unconsciousness. He had lost more blood than he'd initially thought—his breathing was shallow and hoarse, perspiration glazed his skin, and his eyes were hazy and shrunken.

"I didn't say you could speak."

Ice blue eyes widening, the archer's veins stood out against his perspiration-slicked skin. His fingers twitched against the unnatural, invisible force Daniel was somehow maintaining even as he drifted into a realm between reality and whatever constituted as sleep for him.

"Is—is that what this is?" Barton demanded, his voice nothing but a hoarse and ragged hiss. "Are you—are you getting off...on this? Playing...bad boy while the rest of us...wait for whatever that  _monster_ has in...store for us?" He narrowed his eyes and glared at the scientist. "Just because you...have power...doesn't mean...you're powerful."

Tony's hand twitched and the gauntlet on his arm whirred as if voicing its wordless agitation. "I wouldn't have my power if I wasn't meant to use it. What would be the point of having this"—he held up the weapon on his arm—"if I couldn't use it? This is  _my_  right, you see."

The archer shook his head weakly as fury warped his sweat-slicked and blood-spattered features. "Why...why are you doing this? Why are you helping that...that monster?" His words were punctuated by small, almost unnoticeable gasps as he fought through the dulling pain that had morphed into a fiery agony.

Letting out a sharp breath, the scientist turned and kneeled by the raven-haired boy's side. "Little birdie can come to play now."

Daniel's fingers twitched and his lip curled back to expose razor-sharp teeth. "Now? Set the little bird free?"

Tony sighed deeply and pressed his lips together. "Yes. It's okay."

Barton glared as those chilling blue eyes pierced a hole in his soul. Daniel tilted his head to the side and seemed to murmur something, and just as soon as the words left his mouth the invisible force holding the archer to the wall vanished in an instant. Clint groaned as some of the feelings in his hands and arms returned in the form of pins and needles, adding to the already dully-throbbing pain of the wound on his chest. He assessed the situation further, taking in exit points and where his bow and arrow had ended up.

"You can go for the bow and arrow if you like. But it won't change the fact that you're not leaving this room conscious."

Daniel growled deeply and seemed to agree with the scientist's words, although his expression had taken on a glazed sort of look as he crumpled back into that odd sitting position on the grimy floor.

The government agent glared and pressed hand roughly against the bleeding wound on his chest, a faint flare of pain going through his eyes. "Stark...didn't answer my—my question."

"Oh, I know. I'm just waiting to see what Daniel here will do about it." Stark turned and murmured something to the boy; it seemed to take him a moment to comprehend the words, but once he did, he nodded slowly and hunched in on himself.

"You see, Barton, I don't want too much of anything. Yes, I may be a billionaire scientist who's created dozens of high-tech suits and even an artificial intelligence, but I think I'm entitled to say that my greed ends there. For now, at least." Tony took to pacing the floor, keeping his gauntlet-covered arm in full view of the archer. "I'm a scientist, plain and simple. Like you said, I just want to know all of Daniel's little secrets. I mean," he continued on, throwing his hands into the air as a wide grin stretched his lips, "What other chance will I have to examine such a fine specimen?"

Barton scoffed, more saliva and blood dribbling from his chapped lips. "You just want...you just want a lab rat, then. Something that'll come when you call it and...and purr in satisfaction when rewarded."

Tony's grin vanished just as quickly as it appeared as he scowled and shook his head violently. "No, no, no! You misunderstand me. Not a lab rat. Just...a guard dog, if you will. Don't get me wrong—I still believe Daniel has some semblance of humanity remaining in there." He had turned to face the raven again, some strange softness appearing in his amber stare. "There's got to be something that's helping him define his morals. But I don't think that humanity has the wheel all of the time."

"You  _think?"_  Barton growled, his body tensing as Tony whipped around to face him once again. "What human would—?"

The arc reactor in the gauntlet whined as it came to life once again, cutting off the archer's words. "Quiet, birdie. I'm trying to explain myself here, don't you know? Don't be rude." Amber eyes widened as the scientist spoke over his shoulder. "Daniel. It's time to help me clip the birdie's wings."

"Wings..." Daniel shuddered harshly and wrapped his arms around his torso, the atmosphere of the room darkening significantly. "Clip...his wings."

"Stark, don't do this!"

Tony turned as if he hadn't heard the archer's words and helped the boy to his feet, allowing him to rest his weight against his broader frame. "Go on, Daniel. It'll be alright."

The boy's tremors grew in strength as he slowly looked up at the bleeding man. "It's...not me. I'm—I'm not bad."

If looks could kill, the raven would have been dead by now.

_Kill him kill him kill him_

"Just do it," the archer snarled, hatred and disgust and rage battling for dominance in his eyes and face. "Go ahead and kill me."

"That's not what he's doing and you know it," Tony snapped suddenly, his eyes wide and dark in the dim lighting of the room. "Daniel, are you still up for it?"

The boy hesitated and shrunk back, digging his long fingers into the scientist's arms. "No...I don't—" He swayed on his feet and his knees shook violently as his breathing became heavier. He began to mutter unintelligible words under his breath, his hands shaking wildly at his sides as his eyes fell shut.

"Damn it," Stark cursed, hefting the raven's now-limp body up and against his own. He felt the archer's eyes on him and that strange grin appeared once more.

"And then there were two."

Barton growled and blinked fiercely as black spots darted in and out of his vision. "You—"

Tony fired the gauntlet without another moment's hesitation, shadows concealing his expression as he shrugged a broad shoulder.

"Or, you know. There can be one, too."

* * *

"Gerard, in my office. Now."

The young man looked up from his task of sweeping the floor and nodded slowly, setting the broom aside and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he followed his boss into his office towards the back of the restaurant.

Gerard shivered as the temperature of the air seemed to drop, decreasing even further as they made their way down the hall towards the door at the end. His boss opened the plain gray door and motioned for Gerard to enter.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there or go inside?"

"S-Sorry, sir." Gerard hurried into the room, his heart pounding dully in his chest. What was going on? Had he done something wrong? Treated a customer badly?

He noticed movement in the corner of his eye and turned swiftly, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin.

To his surprise, none other than Daniel sat in the chair next to his. His arms were wrapped around his torso and his hair concealed his face as he trembled slightly, the fluorescent lights bleaching his already pale skin to give him an unnatural, eerie pallor.

"Daniel? What's going on?" Gerard glanced back and forth between his boss and the trembling raven.

"Sit down," their boss grumbled, taking a seat in his own chair. Gerard scrambled to comply, but not before sparing Daniel multiple glances in the process.

"As you know, Daniel has some medical issues that could affect his performance here at the restaurant," the shadow-cloaked man at the head of the room rumbled, frowning deeply as he pushed his glasses up the narrow ridge of his nose. "Lately, they've been appearing full force."

Gerard frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Boss, I know. That's why I told you about—"

"—it's fine." Daniel turned his head slightly, just enough to let his coworker know that he was speaking to him. "I'm better now."

His frown becoming even deeper, the young man crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "Are you? Not even a week ago you looked like you were on the verge of collapse."

"Daniel has assured me that everything was fine. He simply forgot to take his medication while caught up in the workload."

Gerard's eyes widened and he leaned back in his seat. "No, that can't be true. I don't think everything's fine. If him not taking his medicine makes him act like  _that_ , then what are you going to do about it? Babysit him until he never forgets to take them?"

"No. I won't be doing that." Bright artificial lights bounced off of the reflective lens of their superior's glasses as he frowned deeply. "You will."

Mouth gaping open like a fish out of water, Gerard's eyes were wide as he glanced between his boss and the trembling pale man. "Are you serious? I'm babysitting the new kid?"

"Need I remind you that you've only been here six months and that everything could change with a snap of my fingers, Gerard?"

Fingers twitching, Gerard shook his head frantically. "No, sir."

After a tense moment of silence, the bespectacled man laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. "Daniel has agreed to leave if his medical issues become too much for him to handle, which will be—"

"But—"

"—which will be determined by his actions and your evaluation of them. You will report these evaluations to me. Understand?"

"I—" Gerard spared a glance at his teammate, slightly unnerved at the paleness of his skin and his silence. "Yes, sir."

"Good." The man spun in his chair and waved a hand over his shoulder. "You are dismissed."

Daniel rose to his feet once Gerard was out of the room, one arm wrapped around his torso and the other hanging free at his side. "That was...good. I...liked that." His fingers twitched slightly and he fixed on cold blue eye on the man.

"You're still sick, as far as I know. You are dismissed."

"...yes, sir." He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

He couldn't help but moan as a wave of vertigo overwhelmed him, forcing him to stumble and slam his already sore shoulder into the wall.

_What are you doing? Are you really that dimwitted?_

_You could have easily ended this farce._

He shuddered and ran a hand over his arm. _No, I couldn't have. You know what my body's been through. I'm tired enough._

_We could have easily manipulated him into doing what we wanted him to do._

_I don't want that right now. Maybe later. I'm too tired right now to argue, so don't start._

_You still don't know what you're truly capable of, do you?_

Daniel groaned and tangled his hands in his hair, trying to breathe over the sound of roaring blood and dull thunder in the back of his mind.  _I have some idea, I think. But don't...don't worry. I'll have both of them under my thumb soon enough._

There was a brief silence as the voice seemed to think something over.  _Interesting. I think I'm starting to like you._

 _I hope not._ But the raven straightened to his full height and made his way towards the nearest exit.

He needed some fresh air.

_Fresh air from the world around him._

A crow screamed in the distance.

_One for sorrow, two for mirth. Three for a wedding, and four for a birth._

_Five for silver, six for gold. And seven for a secret never to be told._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow, this chapter was long. I hope that helps make up for my absence. Any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave them in a review or to message me.
> 
> And what did you think about Tony? Hehe...
> 
> I'll let you all figure out what happened to Clint. :)


End file.
